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User:Cornsnek/sandbox/List of rulers of Tenochtitlan

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This is a list of the tlatoque of the pre-Columbian altepetl of Tenochtitlan and the later judges and governors of the Colonial-period Cabildo of San Juan Tenochtitlan.

Founder (1325–1350/1367/1375)

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Picture Name Reign Succession & notes Death
Tenoch
Tenōch
1325 – 1350/1367/1375 Founder of Tenochtitlan, possibly legendary 1350, 1367 or 1375
Natural causes

Monarchical period

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Tlatoque under Tepanec suzerainty (1373–1427)

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No. Picture Name Reign Succession & notes Death
1 Tlacoten[1]
Tlacotin
1373 Son of Tezozomoc. Appointed by his father. 1373
Ruled for 200 days, died of natural causes
2 Teuhtlehuatzin[1]
Teuctlehuac
1373 Son of Tezozomoc. Appointed by his father. May have been present in Tenochtitlan during the reign of Chimalpopoca, someone with the same name is noted as being killed along with Chimalpopoca. Possibly 1427
Abandoned Tenochtitlan after he was unable to ensure stability
3 Ilancueitl[2]
Ilancueitl
1373 – 1383 Noblewoman from Coatlinchan or Culhuacan. 1383
Natural causes
4 Acamapichtli
Ācamāpichtli
c. 1383 – 1403 Husband of Ilancueitl. First tlatoani of Tenochtitlans royal dynasty. 1387, 1395 or 1403
Natural causes
5 Huitzilihuitl
Huītzilihhuitl
c. 1403 – 1417 Son of Acamapichtli. 1415 or 1417 (aged c. 38)
Natural causes
6 Chimalpopoca
Chīmalpopōca
1417 – 1427 Son of Huitzilihuitl. 1427 (aged c. 23)
Conflicting accounts, strangled in captivity by Maxtla, or murdered by supporters of Itzcoatl
7 Xihuitl Temoc[3]

Xīhuitl Tēmoc

1427 Son of Chimalpopoca. 1427

Ruled for 60 days, deposed and killed by Itzcoatl

Tlatoque of the Triple Alliance (1427–1521)

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No. Picture Name Reign Succession & notes Death
8 Itzcoatl
Itzcōhuātl
1427 – 1440 Son of Acamapichtli. 1440 (aged c. 60)
Natural causes
9 Moctezuma I
Motēuczōma

Ilhuicamīna (He Shoots the Heavens) Chālchiutlatōnac (He Has Shone Like Jade)

1440 – 1466 Son of Huitzilihuitl. 1466 (aged c. 71)
Natural causes (illness)
10 Atotoztli[2]

Atotoztli

1466 – 1472 Daughter of Moctezuma I. 1472 (aged c. 52)

Natural causes

11 Axayacatl
Āxāyacatl
1472 – 1481 Son of Atotoztli and Tezozomoc, a son of Itzcoatl. 1481 (aged c. 32)
Natural causes (illness)
12 Tizoc
Tīzocic

Tlalchitonatiuh (Earthbound Sun)

1481 – 1486 Son of Atotoztli and Tezozomoc, a son of Itzcoatl. 1486 (aged c. 50)
Unclear causes, possibly murdered
13 Ahuitzotl
Āhuitzotl
1486 – 1502 Son of Atotoztli and Tezozomoc, a son of Itzcoatl. 1502 (aged c. 56)
Natural causes
14 Moctezuma II
Motēuczōma

Xōcoyōtl (The Younger)

1502 – 1520 Son of Axayacatl. 1520 (aged c. 54)
Conflicting accounts, killed accidentally or intentionally by a rock thrown by one of his subjects, or killed by the Spaniards
15 Cuitláhuac
Cuitlāhua
1520 Son of Axayacatl. 1520 (aged c. 44)
Unclear causes, possibly smallpox
16 Cuauhtémoc
Cuāuhtēmoc
1520 – 1521 Son of Ahuitzotl. Last independent Nahua ruler of Tenochtitlan. 1525 (aged c. 28)
Hanged on the orders of Hernán Cortés

Colonial period

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Cuauhtlatoque (1521–1565)

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The initial rulers of Tenochtitlan installed by the Spaniards were not part of the nobility and did not go through the traditional investiture ceremonies. As a result, they were not regarded as legitimate tlatoani by the local populace. Instead, they were titled as cuauhtlatoani, a term that literally meant "eagle ruler" and in pre-conquest times served to designate a non-dynastic interim ruler appointed when necessary.[4] Hernán Cortés and the Spaniards initially preferred such less legitimate rulers, possibly as a way of ensuring that the colonial authorities would be able to maintain control.[5]

Though the cuauhtlatoque appointed by the Spaniards were not legitimate dynastic rulers, they were noted in later chronicles as governing as if they were tlatoani.[5] Codices made after the time of the cuauhtlatoque differ in how they are treated; some emphasize their illegitimacy as a rupture in the dynastic sequence whereas others do not comment on their lack of relation to previous rulers and instead depict them in the exact same way, as if they were genuine tlatoque.[4]

No. Picture Name Reign Succession & notes Death
16 Cuauhtémoc
Fernando Cuauhtémotzín
1521 – 1525 Son of Ahuitzotl, allowed to retain his position as tlatoani by the Spaniards, baptized as Fernando Cuauhtémotzín. 1525 (aged c. 28)
Hanged on the orders of Hernán Cortés
17 Tlacotzin
Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin
1525 – 1526 Grandson of Tlacaelel, a son of Huitzilihuitl. Installed by Hernán Cortés. 1526
Died of an unknown disease
18 Motelchiuh
Andrés de Tapia Motelchiuhtzin Huitznahuatlailótlac
1526 – 1530 Nahua warrior captain, serves as cuauhtlato ("interim ruler"). 1530

Wounded by a Chichimecan arrow

19 Xochiquentzin
Pablo Xochiquentzin
1530 – 1536 Nahua commoner, serves as cuauhtlato ("interim ruler"). 1536

Natural causes

Reinstation of the Tenochca dynasty

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The royal line of proper tlatoque was restored in 1538.[3] The decision to restore dynastic rule was probably made by the Spanish viceroy Antonio de Mendoza (1535–1550) to preserve the veneer of legitimacy of Spanish rule.[5] Since the Spaniards mainly wished local native rulers to be responsible, pay tribute and be legitimate in the eyes of the people they ruled, the tlatoani were from that point onwards most often appointed after being elected and suggested by the native Nahua nobility.[5]

No. Picture Name Reign Succession & notes Death
20 Huanitzin
Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin
1539 – 1541 Son of Tezozomoctli Acolnahuacatl, a son of Axayacatl. Installed by the Spanish colonial authorities. 1541
Natural causes
21 Tehuetzquititzin
Diego de San Francisco Tehuetzquititzin
1541 – 1554 Son of Tezcatl Popocatzin, a son of Tizoc. Installed by the Spanish colonial authorities. 1554
Natural causes
Interregent Omacatzin
Esteban de Guzmán Omacatzin
1554 – 1557[5] Nahua commoner from Xochimilco, served as judge-governor of Tenochtitlan. Unknown
22 Cecetzin
Cristóbal de Guzmán Cecetzin
1557 – 1562 Son of Huanitzin. Installed by the Spanish colonial authorities. 1562
Natural causes
23 Nanacacipactzin
Luis de Santa María Cipactli/Nanacacipactli
1563 – 1565 Son of Acamapichtli, a son of Ahuitzotl. Installed by the Spanish colonial authorities. Last tlatoani and last hereditary ruler of Tenochtitlan. 1565
Natural causes

Judge-governors (1565-1688)

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After 1565, the governors of Tenochtitlan ceased to be appointed under the principle of hereditary succession and ceased to be referred to as tlatoani. This change was partly a result of experiences with Spanish election principles making the denizens of Tenochtitlan view hereditary descent as less important for legitimacy.[5] From the death of Nanacacipactli in 1565 until 1688, Tenochtitlan was instead placed under the control of Spanish-appointed governors; these governors continued to be of indigenous or mixed descent and many were descendants of Aztec nobility, though not of the royal dynasty.[6]

No. Picture Name Period Notes
24 Francisco Ximenez 1568 - 1569 Nahua noble from Tecamachalco
Interregnum?
25
Antonio Valeriano 1573 - 1599 Nahua politician from Azcapotzalco, which he also governed at some point.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Santamarina Novillo, Carlos (2011). El Sistema de Dominacion Azteca: El Imperio Tepaneca (in Spanish). Editorial Académica Española. ISBN 9783845485096.
  2. ^ a b Klein, Cecelia (2001). Gender in Pre-Hispanic America. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. ISBN 9780884022794.
  3. ^ a b Townsend, Camila (2019). Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0190673060.
  4. ^ a b Diel, Lori Boornazian (2009). The Tira de Tepechpan: Negotiating Place under Aztec and Spanish Rule. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78228-0.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Connell, William F. (2011). After Moctezuma: Indigenous Politics and Self-Government in Mexico City, 1524–1730. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-4175-6.
  6. ^ Lockhart, James (1992). The Nahuas After the Conquest: A Social and Cultural History of the Indians of Central Mexico, Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804719278.