Nezahualcóyotl (King)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bronze sculpture by Jesús Fructuoso Contreras depicting Nezahualcóyotl in the "Garden of the Triple Alliance" ( Jardín de la Triple Alianza ), Mexico City

Acolmitzli Nezahualcóyotl (born April 28, 1402 in Texcoco ; † June 4, 1472 ibid) was a ruler, philosopher and poet in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica .

Life

He ruled over the Acolhua , a Chichimec people who, like the Aztecs, belong to the loose Nahua ethnic group . Nezahualcóyotl was the son of Ixtlilxóchitl (father) and Matlalcihuatzin (mother), both of whom were killed in an attack by the Tepaneks in 1418 . After this attack, Nezahualcóyotl had to flee to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán , whose rulers were related by marriage to his family. There he enjoyed extensive training in the years that followed, but had to hide again and again from being stalked by the Tepaneks. Only in 1431 did he succeed in defeating the Tepanecs in a military alliance with the Aztecs and being ordained ruler in his hometown of Texcoco. His name, which means “hungry coyote” in the Nahuatl language , also comes from these years of waiting .

In the years that followed, he led Texcoco and its people to a boom in culture, science, architecture, religion and agriculture. He himself was fond of architecture, poetry and philosophy. Among other things, he built an aqueduct to supply the town of Tenochtitlán , which is located in the salt water of Texcoco Lake , with fresh water. His palace, the remains of which can still be seen in Texcoco today, had a sophisticated water supply system. Some of his poems have been transmitted orally and are preserved in the Codex Ixtlilxóchitl and other codices from the 16th century written by Christian monks.

It is believed that Nezahualcóyotl fathered over 100 children with a large number of women. His son Nezahualpilli (1464-1515) succeeded him to the throne after his death in 1472.

Honors

The city ​​of the same name , a suburb of Mexico City , and the freshwater ornamental fish Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl are named after Nezahualcóyotl . The 100 peso banknote contains his portrait. The plant genus Nezahualcoyotlia R.González from the orchid family is also named after him.

literature

  • José Luis Martínez: Nezahualcóyotl. Vida y obra. Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico City 1972 ( Biblioteca Americana. Serie de Literatura Indígena. Pensamiento y acción. ZDB -ID 421654-4 ).
  • Heiderose Hack Bouillet: Nezahualcóyotl. Flowers and chants. Scaneg, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-89235-512-6 .
  • Gordon Brotherston: Nezahualcóyotl's “Lamentaciones” and their Náhuatl origins: the westernization of ephemerality. In: Estudios de Cultura Náhuatl. 10, 1972, ISSN  0071-1675 , pp. 393-408.

Settings

  • The composer Juan María Solare composed the work Un recuerdo que dejo (A memory I leave behind) for female voice, flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet based on texts by Nezahualcóyotl in 2007-2008.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymous plant names - Extended Edition. Part I and II. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-946292-26-5 doi: 10.3372 / epolist2018 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Nezahualcóyotl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Acolmitzli Nezahualcóyotl (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler, philosopher and poet in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
DATE OF BIRTH April 28, 1402
PLACE OF BIRTH Texcoco
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 1472
Place of death Texcoco