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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 [teno%CB%90t%CA%83%CB%88tit%C9%ACa%CB%90n]) (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.
Pre-Hispanic
[Ācamāpichtli, 1st Aztec Emperor]
[Huitzilihuitl, 2nd Aztec Emperor]
[Chimalpopoca, 3rd Aztec Emperor]
[Moctezuma I, 5th Aztec Emperor]
[Axayacatl, 6th Aztec Emperor]
[Ahuitzotl, 8th Aztec Emperor]
[Moctezuma II, 9th Aztec Emperor]
[Cuitláhuac I, 10th Aztec Emperor]
[Cuauhtémoc, 11th Aztec Emperor]
Colonial rulers
Juan Velázquez, 12th Aztec Emperor
Motelchiuhtzin Huitznahuatlailótlac aka Don Andrés de Tapia
Xochiquentzin aka Don Pablo
Don Diego de Alvarado, 15th Aztec Emperor
don Diego de San Francisco, 16th Aztec Emperor
Don Cristóbal de Guzmán, 17th Aztec Emperor
Esteban de Guzmán (Not a tlatoani, but a judge (juez).)
Don Cristóbal de Guzmán, 17th Aztec Emperor
Nanacacipactzin aka Luis de Santa María
Further reading
Links
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tenochtitlan_rulers