Cazonci

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the sources of the Spanish colonial times, the ruler of the Mesoamerican Tarasken people is called Cazonci .

Origin of the term

The origin of the word cazonci is unclear. In the Relacíon de Pátzcuaro of 1581 it is said that the Aztecs called the ruler of the Tarasken caccoli ("old sandal") because he was said to have been dressed in a modest manner when he first visited Tenochtitlán . This seems unlikely, however, since the term Cazonci already appears in the Relación de Michoacán , which was written earlier . According to another interpretation, also derived from Nahuatl words, the term means something like "Lord of the countless houses [villages]".

Maurice Swadish , on the other hand, assumes an origin from Tarasco . He derives Cazonci from kats-on-tsi ("shaved"); accordingly the title meant something like "the shaved one". This would also be supported by the fact that Bernardino de Sahagún already suggests that the Tarasken were called the "people with the shaved heads" in older times.

Duties and rights

At the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico , the Cazonci ruled absolutely over the Taraskan empire, supported by a group of advisors. In essence, however, his office was a religious one, because he ruled as the representative of the supreme god Curicaueri . As a result, he was obliged to conquer land and never to let the Curicaueri ignite the eternal fires in the temples go out. He also belonged to the axamencha , the priests who were supposed to offer the hearts of the sacrifices to the gods when offering human sacrifices. As symbols of power, the cazonci always carried a bow and arrows.

The Cazonci were directly subordinate to four governors who administered the four parts of the Taraskan Empire. In addition, he was represented in each settlement by an overseer (called by the Spaniards Cacique , "chief"). His permanent entourage was the achaecha , tribal chiefs of lower rank. In contrast, his entire servants consisted exclusively of women, who were said to be the wives of the Cazonci. However, he could also marry her to high generals.

literature

  • Joseph Benedict Warren: The Conquest of Michoacán. The Spanish Domination of the Tarascan Kingdom in Western Mexico, 1521-1530 . University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma 1985. ISBN 0-8061-1858-X . (English)