Start My Family Tree Welcome to Geni, home of the world's largest family tree.

Join Geni to explore your genealogy and family history in the World's Largest Family Tree.

Tenochtitlan Rulers, the Aztec Emperors

« Back to Projects Dashboard

Embed Project

Project Tags

Related Projects

Top Surnames

de Iztapalapa, Xocoyotzin and 3ro Tlatoani de Tenochtitlan

view all 15

Profiles

Juan Velázquez, 12th Aztec Emperor (deceased)
Tlacotzin aka Juan Velázquez was Cihuacoatl (counselor) during the tenure of Moctezuma II, and Cuauhtémoc. He was grandchild of the Cihuacoatl Tlacaeleltzin. Tlacotzin was captured and later tortured...
Don Cristóbal de Guzmán, 17th Aztec Emperor (deceased)
Don Cristóbal de Guzmán Cecetzin (or Cecepaticatzin) was a colonial Nahua noble from Santa María Cuepopan in San Juan Tenochtitlan. A son of the ruler don Diego Huanitzin, don Cristóbal first served as...
don Diego de San Francisco, 16th Aztec Emperor (b. - 1554)
Tehuetzquititzin (sometimes called Tehuetzquiti or Tehuetzqui) aka don Diego de San Francisco (died 1554) was the 16th tlatoani and second governor of Tenochtitlan. According to Chimalpahin, Tehuetzq...
Don Diego de Alvarado, 15th Aztec Emperor (b. - 1541)
Huanitzin (or Panitzin) aka Don Diego de Alvarado was a 16th century Nahua noble. A grandson of Axayacatl, Nephew of tlatoani Moctezuma II. He was initially the tlatoani (ruler) of Ecatepec before beco...
Moctezuma I, 5th Aztec Emperor (deceased)
Moctezuma I (c. 1398–1469), also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I (Classical Nahuatl: Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna [moteːkʷˈsoːma ilwikaˈmiːna], Classical Nahuatl: Huēhuemot...

About

edit
history

Scope of project

This project aims to identify the tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, often referred to as "Aztec emperors".

Overview

The royal title of huey tlatoani translates from the Classical Nahuatl language as "great" "one given voice” and was given to the supreme rulers of Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan (and before them those of Azcapotzalco.)

Tenochtitlan (Classical Nahuatl: Tenōchtitlān [tenoːtʃˈtitɬaːn]) (sometimes also known as Mexico Tenochtitlan or Tenochtitlan Mexico) was a Nahua altepetl (city-state) located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico. Founded in 1325, it became the seat of the growing Aztec Empire in the 15th century, until captured by the Spanish in 1521. When paired with Mexico the name is a reference to Mexica, the people of the surrounding Aztec heartland. It subsequently became a cabecera of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and today the ruins of Tenochtitlan are located in the central part of Mexico City.

History

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec civilization, consisting of the Mexica people, founded in 1325. The state religion of the Aztec civilization awaited the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: that the wandering tribes would find the destined site for a great city whose location would be signaled by an eagle eating a snake while perched atop a cactus. The Aztecs saw this vision on what was then a small swampy island in Lake Texcoco, a vision that is now immortalized in Mexico's coat of arms and on the Mexican flag. Not deterred by the unfavourable terrain, they set about building their city, using the chinampa system (misnamed as "floating gardens") for agriculture and to dry and expand the island. A thriving culture developed, and the Aztec civilization came to dominate other tribes all around Mexico. The small natural island was perpetually enlarged as Tenochtitlan grew to become the largest and most powerful city in Mesoamerica. Commercial routes were developed that brought goods from places as far as the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and perhaps even the Inca Empire. After a flood of Lake Texcoco, the city was rebuilt under the rule of Ahuitzotl in a style that made it one of the grandest ever in Mesoamerica. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519. At this time it is believed that the city was one of the largest in the world; compared to Europe, only Paris, Venice and Constantinople were larger. In a letter to the Spanish king, Cortés wrote that Tenochtitlan was as large as Seville or Córdoba. The most common estimates put the population at over 200,000 people. One of the few comprehensive academic surveys of Mesoamerican city and town sizes arrived at a population of 212,500 living on 13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi), although some popular sources put the number as high as 350,000.

After the conquest

Cortés subsequently directed the systematic destruction and leveling of the city and its rebuilding, despite opposition, with a central area designated for Spanish use (the traza). The outer Indian section, now dubbed San Juan Tenochtitlan, continued to be governed by the previous indigenous elite and was divided into the same subdivisions as before.