HUITZILÍHUITL: BIOGRAPHY, CONQUESTS AND RELIGIOUS CONSTRUCTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Huitzilíhuitl (1396-1417) was the second emperor of the Aztec Empire, who ruled in the city of Tenochtitlán between 1391 and 1415. Likewise, Huitzilíhuitl is also remembered for having been the fourth son of Acamapichtli, the first ruler of the Triple Alliance.

While his father was selected through popular election, Huitzilíhuitl was chosen by the nobility that made up the Triple Alliance. According to the records of the chronicles, the nobles of the Mexica territory chose this prince for his gentle and noble character. Furthermore, Huitzilíhuitl was young and single, which provided a good opportunity to establish alliances through marriage.

Huitzilíhuitl was the second emperor of the territories made up of the Triple Alliance. The painting shows the founding of the city. Source: Mexico City Foundation (public domain)

Despite his calm personality, the chroniclers established that Huitzilíhuitl was actually the first warrior emperor, since he introduced the Mexica to the world of conquest and military life.

This is due to the fact that during the reign of this young emperor, the Aztecs conquered the territories of several neighboring towns, such as Cuautitlán and Chalco.

Although Huitzilíhuitl's achievements were overwhelming in terms of creating alliances and obtaining land, the time of his reign was very short, since the young emperor died at the age of 35. However, before dying he dictated some laws, maintained order within their territories and forged a remarkable army that could handle both on land and in water.

Biography

According to the records, Huitzilíhuitl was born in 1377 in the city of Tzompanco, whose territories were part of the Aztec Empire. Its name is translated from Nahuatl to Spanish as a hummingbird feather.

For this reason, its glyph (a sign used by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to represent their rulers, gods and festivals) is accompanied by the head of this bird. On some occasions he was also represented decorated with blue feathers.

Huitzilíhuitl's father was Acamapichtli, who is remembered for having consolidated the alliance between Tenochtitlán and Azcapotzalco. His Nahuatl name means the one who wields the cane rod, so in his glyph he can be seen holding the cane and wearing his armor.

The Triple Alliance and

The Aztec or Mexica Empire was also known as the Triple Alliance, since it was made up of three main cities: Tenochtitlán, Texcoco and Tlacopan. Likewise, the main ruler of the Triple Alliance was known as Huey Tlatoani, which translates as great orator (plural huēyi tlahtoqueh: great orators)

The tlatoani - equivalent to a western emperor - was the highest ruler of the Mexica Empire and had to fulfill religious and military functions. In addition, his figure was strongly linked with the deities of the Mexica civilization.

Before becoming Huey tlatoani, the would-be rulers were known as cuāuhtlahto (which translates from Nahuatl as one who speaks as an eagle). The quāuhtlahto was an equivalent to caudillo or chief of arms. Some considered Tenoch as the first Huey tlatoani, however, his figure was rather mythical and it would be more accurate to remember him as a recognized caudillo.

The office of tlatoani was obtained through inheritance from father to son, however, first a consensus had to be carried out among the main nobles that made up the Triple Alliance. Acamapichtli was officially the first Huey tlatoani of the Mexica community, Huitzilíhuitl being the second.

When it came time to appoint Acamapichtli's successor, the high lords had to choose from four of their male children. Huitzilíhuitl was not the older brother, however, he was selected by the council due to his exemplary character. According to the chronicles, Huitzilíhuitl stood out among his brothers for his nobility and temperance.

Alliances through marital unions

Huitzilíhuitl married several noblewomen with the aim of establishing profitable political alliances. His first wife was a Tepanecan princess, which allowed him to relate to Tezozomoc, who was the princess's father and a powerful lord who owned several lands.

Later, the Mexican emperor remarried another daughter of Tezozomoc, which brought great benefits to the Tenochtitlan region.

For example, thanks to this union, the tributes that had to be paid to the city of Tezozomoc were reduced until it became a merely symbolic act. In addition, these savings made it possible to finance the construction of a small aqueduct that began in Chapultepec.

After the death of his second wife, Huitzilíhuitl again wished to establish alliances with families of noble origin. In this case, he was interested in Miahuaxíhuatl, who was a princess of Cuauhnáhuac. The young woman's father did not agree with the union, however, he had to give in after a series of military confrontations occurred between both regions.

Thanks to this marriage, the city of Tenochtitlan got access to several of the products grown in Cuauhnáhuac. For example, from this region the Mexica obtained cotton, which was used to make the clothing of the nobles.

Huitzilíhuitl Genealogy

As mentioned in previous paragraphs, Acamapichtli was Huitzilíhuitl's father and his mother was Tezcatlan Miyahuatzin. Huitzilíhuitl had three main wives: Miyahuaxochtzin, Miahuaxíhuatl and Ayauhcihuatl, with whom he fathered a considerable number of children. Among them were Tlacaélel, Moctezuma I and Chimalpopoca, his successor.

Glyph of Acamapichtli, father of Huitzilíhuitl. Source: bicentenario.gob_.mx (public domain)

Conquests and religious buildings

Following the orders of his father-in-law Tezozomoc, Huitzilíhuitl conquered several towns located in the Basin of Mexico, such as Xaltocan. After conquering a town, most of the benefits went to Azcapotzalco -the city of Tezozomoc-, however, Tenochtitlan also managed to favor itself since it kept a percentage of land and products.

During the government of the young Huitzilíhuitl, several religious temples were built and the number of rituals increased, which shows that there was an interest in strengthening the link between the gods and the ruler. In turn, the cult of the god Huitzilopochtli, a deity associated with the Sun and with war, was reinforced.

In general terms, it can be established that in this period Tenochtitlán lived a boom time, since several buildings were built and the facade of the Templo Mayor was remodeled. Schools were also created that both commoners and nobles could attend.

References

1. Gillespie, S. (1989) The aztec kings: the construction of rulership in Mexica history. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from the University of Arizona Press.
2. SA (sf) Compendium of the general history of Mexico. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx
3. SA (sf) Huitzilíhuitl. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
4. Salas, E. (1990) Soldaderas in the Mexican military: Myth and history. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Google books: books.google.com
5. Torquemada, J. (sf) Indian Monarchy. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from UNAM: historicas.unam.mx
6. Vela, E. (sf) Huitzilíhuitl, “Pluma de Colibrí” (1496-1417) Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Mexican Archeology: arqueologiamexicana.mx