Acolhua
The Acolhua ( nahuatl Ācōlhuah ) were a Nahua people in the high valley of Mexico ; their realm is called Acolhuacán . After 1428, the Acolhua formed a triple alliance with the Mexica ( Aztecs ) and Tepaneks , commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire .
geography
The political and economic center of the Acolhua was Tetzcoco ( Texcoco ) in today's state of México , on the east bank of the former salt lake of Tetzcoco , but also the city of Zultepec, with a maximum of 5,000 inhabitants in the border area to Tlaxcala, was important.
history
According to the historical writings of Ixtlilxóchitl , written in the 17th century, the history of the Acolhua can be traced back to the 13th century. Its capital at that time was Tenayocan ( Tenayuca ) and its ruler Nopaltzin (ruled 1202-1236) was married to a Toltec princess. His son Tlotzin (reigned 1236–1272) is considered a good statesman and had numerous hydraulic structures (canals, dams) built. Only his grandson Catlenihco renamed the capital Tetzcoco. His successors increased the area of influence, but around 1420 Acolhuacán came under the suzerainty of the Tepaneks , which ended bloody after a few years (1428). Together with the Aztecs and the subjugated Tepaneks, Tetzcoco formed the Aztec Triple Alliance .
Personalities
The most famous king of the Acolhua was Nezahualcoyotl , the so-called "poet king" of Tetzcoco, who - after the death of his parents (1418) - came to the throne at a young age, but could not hold it against the overpowering Tepaneks and until 1428 sought refuge in Tenochtitlán ; he died in 1472. His son Nezahualpilli (r. 1473-1515) is also known.
literature
- Nigel Davies : The Toltec Heritage: From the Fall of Tula to the Rise of Tenochtitlan. Civilization of the American Indian Series 153. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980; ISBN 0-8061-1505-X
- Michael E. Smith: The Aztlan Migrations of Nahuatl Chronicles: Myth or History? (PDF; 3.3 MB) . Ethnohistory 31 (3), 1984, pp. 153-186.