- Ika tlajtoli uan tlaskamatilistli kenke totatamej, tlamokuitlauianij
tlen tlamachtilistli -
“With permission and gratitude to our
grandparents, guardians of tradition”
By Victor Barrera
After abandoning the mythical Aztlan, "the place of the herons," from which they took the name Aztecs, in 1064-1116, the ancient Mexicans began their 260-year journey through what we now call Mexico. Their journey appears to have been guided by the shadow of an eclipse that occurred that year, which is identical to the one that occurred in 1991 (fig. 1). The shadow of this eclipse marked a route from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the area of what is now the Valley of Mexico, the Valley of Anahuac.
Around the year 1321, the
Aztecs arrived in Anahuac. By order of their god Huiztipochtli, they changed
their name to Mexicas. At that time, the Valley of Mexico was already fully populated,
and they had to find a place to settle. At that time, the Tlatoani Tepanec was
Acolnahuacatl, who ruled the Azcapotzalco area from 1302 to 1366. He was the
father of Tezozomoc, who would govern after his death. The Mexicas requested
permission from Acolnahuacatl, who distrusted the newcomers and, in exchange
for tribute and vassalage, assigned them an abandoned islet in the middle of a
lake (today Lake Texcoco); a desolate place full of snakes and scarce food,
with the intention of killing them.
The Mexica not only survived by eating their predators, but over time they built an enormous city, whose architecture, ecological balance, and agriculture through the construction of chinampas (fig. 2) surprised everyone. Perhaps neither Acolnahuacatl nor Tezozomoc could have imagined at the time that they were allowing the construction of what would later be called Meshico Tenochtitlan ("The Belly Buttom of the Maguey - the place of prickly pears on the stones"). Its founding occurred in 1325. The second zenithal passage and the appearance of a solar eclipse were taken into account, on July 26 in the Julian calendar or August 6 in the Gregorian calendar. This date, in the Mexica calendar, is equivalent to the day Ce Cipactli (one crocodile) of the year Ome Calli (two house). The city was first named Cuauhmixtitlan, something like "the place of the eagle among the clouds," and later Tenochtitlan, "the place of prickly pears on the stones", in honor of their leader Tenoch "stone prickly pear". From that moment on, the Mexicas changed their name to Tenochcas.
At that time, the Anáhuac region was made up of several kingdoms (so to speak) that were independent, but at the same time subordinate to a higher authority: that of the Huey Tlatoani Chichimeca Ixtlixóchitl, who ruled Texcoco. When Tezozómoc assumed the Tepanec government upon his father's death, he disagreed with the then Chichimeca ruler. He believed that the place belonged to him. Although he swore loyalty to Ixtlixóchitl, in 1414 he went to war with the Chichimeca kingdom. The Mexica-Tenochca, due to the allegiance they owed to the Tepanec empire, supported the rebellion against Texcoco. Tezozómoc murdered Ixtlixóchitl. He assumed the role of the new Huey Tlatoani of Chichimeca and forced the 15-year-old Netzahualcóyotl, son of Ixtlixóchitl, to flee and remain hidden for approximately five years.
In 1420, upon the death of
Tezozómoc, his son Tayatzin inherited the empire; however, years later in 1426,
he was assassinated by his brother Mashtla, who also coveted power. In 1429,
Netzahualcóyotl returned, and the Triple Alliance was formed between the
peoples of Tlacopan (Tacuba), ruled by Totoquihuatzin, Tenochtitlan with the
Tlatoani Izcóatl, and the descendants of the Chichimeca, commanded by
Nezahuacóyotl. The idea for the formation of this Triple Alliance came from
Tlacaélel: statesman, thinker and ideologist of the Mexica-Tenochca supremacy
(fig. 3)
Once order was restored and
the Tepanec kingdom, including Mashtla, had disappeared under the rubble,
Nezahualcóyotl hoped everything would return to normal, but the members of the
Triple Alliance, especially the Mexica, were no longer willing to continue
being vassals. The old Chichimeca kingdom split into three, and thus the Mexica
empire was truly born.
The Mexica-Tenochca emerged
as the great empire of the region and gradually subdued the nearby peoples,
demanding tribute and obedience from them. Their form of leadership was strong
and demanding, so much so that The neighboring towns were fed up with it,
especially the Tlaxcalans (video 3). The subjugated peoples—Tlaxcalans,
Totocans, Xochimilcas, etc.—never united against the Mexica-Tenochca. It was at
this moment that Hernán Cortés and the Spanish appeared.
In 1519, Hernán Cortés
arrived on the Mexican coast. He traveled across the Yucatán Peninsula and
entered the core of Meshico Tenochtitlan, despite the various obstacles placed
in his way. He was received by Moctecuhzoma Xocoyotzin on November 8, 1519
(Julian calendar). For a time, Spaniards and Mexica coexisted until the tragedy
of the Templo Mayor massacre occurred on May 10, 1520, during the festivities
of the month of Tóxcatl, which commemorated the ceremony of the first zenithal
passage (fig. 4).
Cortés had left on another
expedition, and Pedro de Alvarado had remained in charge of the Spanish troops
in the city of Meshico Tenochtitlan. Alvarado, seeing the Tenochcas gathered in
the main plaza singing and dancing, thought it was a rebellion. Alvarado
ordered the murder of a large number of its inhabitants. Faced with this
situation, the Tenochcas attacked the Spaniards for the first time, who took
refuge in Moctecuhzoma's palace, probably taking him prisoner. They remained
imprisoned there for approximately a month. On Alvarado's orders, Moctecuhzoma
tried unsuccessfully to calm the Tenochca people.
On June 24, Cortés returned.
He managed to enter the city, which was under siege, and once again asked
Moctecuhzoma to calm the people. It is unknown whether the Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
was already dead by then and whether it was merely a pretense. Given the
circumstances, the Spaniards fled the city in haste. This event is known as
"The Sad Night."
By then, Cortés realized
that reconciliation (if there ever was one) was not possible and took advantage
of the discontent among the neighboring peoples, who saw an opportunity to ally
with the Spanish to defeat their common enemy: the tenochcas. The Spanish
troops consisted of around 400-450 soldiers, and their indigenous allies are
estimated at around 6,000, according to some historians, although there are those who claim that there were 200,000 indigenous people. It was an alliance between Spanish troops and those from
Tlaxcala, Totonac, Choluteca, Texcocan, Chalca, Otomi, Xochimilca, etc.
Thus, the city of Meshico
Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521, according to the Julian calendar; on the
day 1 Serpent, of the 1 Serpent trecena, month Tlaxochimaco, year 3 House, of
the Mexica-Tenochca calendar (fig. 5). Upon the death of Moctecuhzoma, it was
Cuitlahuac who assumed power for a brief period before dying of smallpox.
Ultimately, Cuauhtémoc would become the last tlatoani of Tenochca. He survived
the fall of his empire and died a few years later, on February 28, 1525.
Meshico Tenochtitlan: A
reign that, compared to others, lasted only a short time: from 1429 to 1521, or
92 years. The defeat of Meshico Tenochtitlan was due to the alliances of the
indigenous peoples with the Spanish; this is a paradox, since it was the
ancient Mexicans who achieved the so-called "conquest of Mexico" and
not necessarily the Spanish, as is commonly thought (fig. 6).
Meshico Tenochtitlan had 13 leaders from 1325 to 1521) (video 1). It was a
city full of fantasy and grandeur, with successes and failures, which lived
according to the conditions and customs of its time: a Late Postclassic period
characterized by militarization, war, and struggle between the peoples of
Mesoamerica. Despite the events that shaped its history, no one can deprive it
of its privileged place in the beginnings of today's Mexico.
As long as the world remains,
the fame and glory of Mexico-Tenochtitlan will never end.
Memorials of Culhuacan
Fig 1. Shadow of the solar eclipse of 1991
Fig. 2. Description of the chinampas used in Meshico Tenochtitlan
Fig. 3 The Tlatoque who formed the triple Alliance
Fig 4. The Massacre of the Templo Mayor (recreation)
Fig 5. Fall of Meshico Tenochtitlan in 1521 (recreation)
Fig 6. Proportion of troops of the indigenous and Spanish Alliance
The word Mexico, which should be pronounced "meshico", is derived from the Nahuatl words Metl, "maguey"; Xictli, belly buttom; and the locative Co, translated as "Place of the belly buttom of the maguey." Other versions claim it comes from Mexi, another name for Huitzilopochtli. It is not correct to translate the meaning of Mexico as "belly buttom." Those familiar with the tradition disagree. There is debate on this matter.
Alfonso the Wise, in the 12th century, determined that all words with the phoneme "sh" should be written with an "X." Thus, the word Mexico was written with an "X." Later, in 1815, the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language agreed to replace words that had an "X" with a "J." However, by that time, independence was already brewing in Mexico, and the insurgents retained the "X" as a symbol of resistance and patriotism.
Tenochtitlan. Aztec History (short version, about 8 min)
Rise of the Aztecs (complete version, 2h 11min)
Guadarrama, Sofía (2022) Todos
los caminos lleva a tenoctitlan. Tomo I y II. Penguin Random House. México
Guadarrama, Sofía (2021)
Tlatoque. Penguin Random House. México
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Meza, Arturo (2024) Fundación
Mexihco Tenochtitlan. Altépetl. México
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