Axayacatl
Axayacatl ( Nahuatl for 'water face') († 1482 ) was ruler of the Aztec city Tenochtitlán from 1469 (possibly not until 1471) to 1482 . He was the son of Tezozómoc, the son of Itzcóatl (not to be confused with the eponymous Tepanec prince), and Atotoztli , the daughter of his predecessor Moctezuma I.
Little is known of Axayacatl's youth. When Moctezuma I died in 1469, a new ruler had to be appointed. After bitter debates, the parties finally agreed on Axayacatl, who was just 19 years old; possibly because he was the candidate favored by Tlacaélel , the deputy ( Cihuacóatl ) of Moctezuma I. However, there are sources that speak of a two-year rule by Atotoztli and Tezozómoc for the time before the election, so the exact time of Axayacatl's accession to the throne is not secured.
There are not many certain facts about his future life either. It is unclear whether, after his enthronement, he continued a campaign started by his father against the city of Cuetlaxtlán on the Gulf of Mexico, or whether he went with his warriors towards Tehuantepec and Huatolco on the Pacific coast. Then turned Axayacatl against Tlatelolco , the neighboring town of Tenochtitláns. Probably dynastic disputes and the great economic importance of the neighboring city were the cause of this conflict. Tlatelolco's resistance was quickly broken. Their ruler Moquilhuix fell at the age of 70 in a duel with Axayacatl, who had the city administered by military governors after the conquest.
Axayacatl later led a campaign against the settlements in the Toluca valley in order to counter the growing empire of the Tarasken west of Tenochtitlán . From there began a direct advance against the Tarasken, but ended in a devastating defeat for the Aztecs; but a counter-attack to Toluca could still be stopped. The balance of power remained largely in place until the arrival of the Spaniards, with neither side embarking on another serious campaign in the years that followed.
Axayacatl died in 1482 at the age of only 30. His successor was his older brother Tízoc ; his sons Moctezuma and Cuitláuac later also became rulers of Tenochtitlán.
literature
- Hanns J. Prem : History of ancient America . Oldenbourg, Munich 1989 (2nd revised edition 2007). ISBN 3-486-53032-1 .
- Hanns J. Prem: The Aztecs. Culture - history - religion . Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2006. ISBN 3-406-45835-1 .
- Ross Hassig: Aztec Warfare. Imperial Expansion and Political Control. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 1988. ISBN 0-8061-2121-1 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Axayacatl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ruler of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán (1469 to 1481) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 15th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1482 |