The Rise of the Aztecs PDF

Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted. CrlAPTER 4...

Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted. CrlAPTER 4 T HE RISE OF THE AZTEC he high VaU of Anahuac-th Indian. name for the Valley of M ·m, meaning Nnear the watcr"- was a mmpelling l'ure to wandering peoples seeking a more abundant life. With i equabl dimai and sys m of i terconn cting lake horde d by foi: ts fuU of wild game. it was especially attraGtiv to tbe noma of the arid north. Because o 1:5 central ocatioa, the valley had been, from ancient times. a corridor through which tribes diva:se adtur pan d-and om tim maintd. This cultural m Ian produ · a rich nviron- ment for the exchange of ideas ands Us. Moreova. tradeJS and merchants.introduced exotic products from the co sts oth ,:: sions, thereby adding to th w ety fli6. At. the same cime, frequently hostile alien groups periodically upset the la e country with vio ence. In die twelfth centw:y. aew - -states deve oped in the Valley of Mem:o, interacting with each other, som. tim c nd]y,.som ti.m r ively, Thro h M oam rka, th lin brtw"een polities multiplied in shifting relationships of exchange.a nd political downation. In this network. central wco occupied the most influential position. AZTEC P EDE CESSORS, nh the power varuum cr-cated by the c Uapse of Tula in the twelfth c-cntu:ry;. sevcul , o ps of ahuad& speaking Ch.chim , enter-d the w.llley from the north. By the early thin, nth c ntu;y th vaUey teem d 'th activity and b cam incr ingly crowded. It was an age of anxiety and tensio. ' e first invader groups quickly staked out their claims, and la I am.val found lirttJe aw: , J pace. Th , rJy Chichim , s tt1 din the proxim- ity of established towns popuJatoo! by r-cmnants ofToltoc refugees whose cultur-c retained more complex Mesoamerican features. The phenomenon so familiar in histmy O(;cuned: th reo :ntJy arri bun r-:gathem-s gradua ly adopt d the more advanced ways of th ir sedentru:y neighbors. M t pr , inent of th art invader ch' ftains wa Xolotl (D.vin Dog), who arri d with his people· in I 244. Th.ese ,Qhichimccs estaMished themse.lves at Tenayuca and came to dominate this non:hem pan of the valley through aggressive warnm: based on the use of the 43 Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  44 l'R E- COLD 11 1 AN M.EXI CO bow and arrow. Under Xolotl (1244-1304), the crude nonh emers adopted fearures of the surroundi11ig sedentary towns,, imitating their dwellings, clothing. and agricultural practicies. In 24 , th conquered th pr tigious "ty ofColhuacan, and lotl married h" on o- paltzin (Revered Prickly P:ear) to a prinoess of the vanquished To tees. As their standing grew, their Nahuatl language was,beooming the l'mgua franca of the valley. The Tupanec:s, other in.vad.ers ho had.arrived jn the valley in I 230, re o,gnizled Xolod.as m"l!Ilord. for their sernce as,mercenaries, the Tepanecs received land granis enabling them to mend th ·r in:tl ence from th ·rcapital o Atzcap t:zalco on th an fl.a Teirooco. The key figme ofl'epanoc expansion ·was Tezozomoc who made Arzrap otza.ko the most pow- erlul cenw in theva.Uey in the fourteenth cmtwy. Employing de :ei dynastic marriages, vio- ence and m:adt.eiy~ this tynnt el{])and d epan territory, with th oonq _ ts ofTonayuca. 1 Colhuaran. Xochimilm, and Cnauhnahuac {now Cuemavara). Temzomoc vanquished the ·ty ofl'excoco in th art 15ftfo th ntwy a d brut l 1Ke1wl!n:!lll i rul lxtilzochitl with spears in ifuJl view of his young s.on, ezahuakoyod fH ungry Coyote), who was concealed in a tree. Thm~h the politics, of terror, the "ifcpaneCli broaden ,rth.cir soverejgnty in the valley. THE.A ZTEC RISE 'T O PO WER The irruption of the Chichimecs om e arid north included one group that en ages orn attention above all others. Whi e they cal -d themselves the Mexica (pronoun "May- sh eka #),. they have b oome mo ommonly known as the Az cs. _ o Di · o record had more humble beginnings and rose to such heights, in so short a time. ~ the long view of p:rehi -panic Mexico, th mus - regarded a , upsta~, latecomers o e s n - The Wa- of the important nomadi groups to ent,e:r the valley, they began t uire some notoriety about two hundred years ior to the Spanish oonquest, but thm' ,rise ro great pow,er oc- curred l than a twy before: th dvent of orw in l The origins of the Aztecs are apparently found on an island they called Aztfan, some- her to the nonhwest of the vaUey, from which many -es wand.er,e d outhward. Histori cal accounts for the first decades fo lowing their dep rture from Aztlan, evi.dl!ll tly in AU 1Ul , are fragmentary and mm1iable for; onc-e secure. the ~e.cs destroyed all ilie records and reco truaed their h st.oiy with accoun fa b to themse:Jves. "ke other ahua groups ho entered the valley befor-e them, the Azle.es eventually evolved officiall histories, linking ei m~gration -1ori.es with maniag -s th , - -tablished {however purious]y) their presti- ,ci-ous oltec connections. The Azt.ecr.' great search for the promised land logically enough led them to¥iiard the verdant ·ntermontan basin of Anahua but th a, ' d th only a£ r many decad of wandering. Somewhere along the way they came to conceive of themsekres as a.messianic people, die chos«1 of the gpds, They pressed on, inspired by viision of their imp al destiny and r th p rsis nt twitterin 5 ohheirstran e hummingbird·. Th ir uprem d ity was Huitzilopochtli (!hummingbird on the eft), god of WaI who slew his sister Coyolxauhqui after sh kiUed their mother, Coatlicu. He th n proceroed to devo r Coatliru ·' heart, At length these nomads made their way into the Val ey of Mexico, where they found a oold reception. To begin with, other groups had a.heady carved up aJ] the lands into various Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  The Risu,J the Azlzt:s 45 city-states, and puc.eived. the Aztecs as unwelcome squatters, a boorish, unrnuth lot, dis- posed to aJl sorts of vu]lPtrities. H,e]d in disdain, the more refined farming re5idents of the valley ncom:.ged th. n om , to, ke p mov·ng. lt ms s ifth Azt purpo ely ought 1 lo anger others with some repu,gnant. habits {which included gruesome human sacrifices) and the·r ,o utrageow. practice of tealing their n -'ghbors' wiv-es. But however much them- t:er opers repulsed the fanning peoples of the valley; they also learned (sometimes the ham way) to enten ain a healthy respect for them. The Aztecs were a 1mune, vi(gorous people hungry an , am iliou , They were wo sup wmio , ho fichti b1liti did not go unnoticed by the ruling warlords of the valley. Consequently, it :-as as allies exploiting the t.eouous balance of power in Anahuac that the Azt. - fim achieved r cognition. From. the 1270s to the year 13U) the Azt maintained.a pr, us existenc occupying die hiU of Chapuhepec {now a pad: in Mexico City). They continued in th.cir aggressive ways. and th lead of m o th prindpa town d "d to d I 'th th m onoe and fo all. They dr-ov.c the intruders from Chapultepec and crifice the Aztec chief and his daugh cr. The sm:vivms escaped by cone~ them.selves in the rushes along the lakeshore until it was safe to com out ow S1LJbject to Coxrox {Pheasant), the ruler Co1huacan, the Anecs received some land to ti. But what I nd! Th found th.emsel'v living in a gully acrawl with ttl - snakes, no doubt to the amusement of their ,e nemies. But. according to ]~end, the Aztecs liked rattlesnake meat, and they devoured the vipen 'With gusto. ' tiilL it was not e prom- L d land. and the restl -'-te 'ded th ir tim '. Their chanc ca.me when Coxcoc asfeed lo give them their liberty and better land in exchange for assistancie in a war against the town ofXochirniko. AztJ 1- d der d to the &hocked Cox.cox proof o , ·r deeds-saclcs rontaining 8,00 ears rut from the bin Xochimilcas. AlthougJt the kilng of huaam hastily gave them their freedom, the Aztecs did not go a;w:ay. They asked th , Colhu lord f'or h daughter, who wo i m d th Azte qu en and. woul be trra.ted as a goddess. Coxe-ox unwittingly.agreed, whercupo.n the Aztecs, in a movr calculated to assert.i - depmden.ce from their overt s, samficed and Rayed the prin.- oess. \Vhen her father attended the banquet in hiis ho,p o~ he was horrified to 6nd that the entertainment included a p riest-dancer ,dressed in ilie skin of his daughter. Havinig finally h ,, n ugh, oMDOX i d an army tha c ttc th. Azle , who too refi oneie more among the reeds of the lake. Again the Aztecs showed their adaptab lity and turned the s·tuation to their advantag lhey foun _ that in the marshy ed o the lake no one bothered them, for the place as oons1dered unsuitable for dwelling. H VrraS, hmvever, a region abundant in watenowl, fish, and other , dible a atu. Funhermore. ' t wa. of m trategic placem. t, lo ted at a point where three kingdoms merg:ed. Huddled in those swamps, the dogged Aztecs drew on their resources and,, finding strength and unity in adversity, they stiffened their resolve. Unmol sted, in about 1325 the &~ea occup'ed a smru i.s. coun eled by th proph- ecy o f Huitzilopodn]i that attributed si,gn.mcancie to a place where an eagle with a serpent in i beak p rched on a cactu. They egan to cquire. through trade. lhe ma,terial.s they needed to enlarge their foothold, and they dredged the lake bottom to form more surface soil. From such inauspicious b~nings. and with considerable ingenuity and great labor. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  46 l'R E- COLD 111 AN M.EXI CO u ndi ng of th Aztec c iw ofT nochLitl a depiCLed in lhe Cod Mendoza, they ev n :ually aeat d th gr at dty of11 noc:htitlan; From that i land redou t. they late buiJt connecting rauseways, which muld easily be defended, to the mainland. It was an m.- spiI,ed defensive c:onc;ept. flawed only by the eveotuail dependenc;e on mainland Chapul tepee for drinking watier. Aqueducts conveying water could be cut. Meanwhile the furious activity of the Aztecs and the d~lopment of the island came to th ttention ofTezozo moc, th Top.an stronsm n of An.lhuac, who brought th m unde his sway and used them in their ttaditional r-ote of mMrnaries. ezozomoc made unrea~ sonable demands of tribute from the Azlec.s. and ,e:ven humiliated them, but he was astute Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  The Risu,J the Azlzt:s 47 enough not to push them too far. Gradually he ac.oepted them as minor partners and even- iwJly alJowed Tenochtitlan to establish a royal. dynasty. In 1377, the yoUOig Acamapichdi becam ruJ r of th Azt By th tim Tezoz.omoc finaJl di d, in 1426, th Az his apt disciples. weI"e flourishing. Abou this tim - the An -cs elected as the' r leader It:zooad (0 -sidian.nake )1 wnc -e ener- ,getic rule ed to Aztec independence and the expansion of trade. Fol1owin a power struggle m 1428, Tenochtitlan allied itsdf with the alteped (city states) of T6icooo and the we:aku 11 oo,pan gain t th 11 pan... This Tripi AH' nee would oon ,co uo n al Mexico. Iz- ooatl's rrlgn firmly established HuitzHopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, an Tezradipoca as the su- preme Maile.a deities. THE AZTEC EIM P IR:E Alidtough the feverish drive of the Aztecs, uJtima: cly canied them to dominance of the al- liance, Tacooo mairntained its position of equ.aruity for some ti.me. To considerab e extilffit 'faco o's strength was owing to th brilH c of N u coyotJ (I [ung,y Coyot ru1 d 1418- 71). one ofthe most remarkable figures in · e history of Mexico. While so many are rem mbered for th : milirt!izy oits., the iUusttiow Nezahu Jcoyotl command ,:t lion for Ms adtnral refinement. A man of his times, he steadily increased his infllue:nce through milirtary fo1c;e, but he had esth tic nsibiliti s as weH. Renowned for his phifosophlcal veise. di.is Np oet.kine of Te:iroooo emb di d the tal nts of a wi s Jegisl ator and a pii cip 100 judg In addition, he was an engin~I o was, instrumental in the construction of a great aque- duct,, which brou,ght w 1i -. o Ten ' tit1an from th mainland,.and of t g dike cros the lake. A scholar and ibliophile, his Texcooo, #the Athens of Anahuac,.had libraries housing d:tousands of manuscrip hich tragically Spaniaids later destroyed. The rcirty, with its gar- dens, royal b th an b autiful ~empl repre nted th fin. on of culture in an otherwise marrnd by cruclty, intr:ig)le, and aJmost constant warfare. Vilhen Nezahuakoyotl died, in 1472, his on e:zahualpilli, who h d any fhi ath qualiti. b m ruler of Tux.coco. Hut th city rame increasingly under the: influence of Tenochtitlan. After ltzcoatl died, in 1440, his nephew, Moctezuma I {Moctezuma llhuiramina) became i of th Azte. n befo taking p · , M te:zuma had becom a prom'nent. ge:ne:J"aI, and during his reign of twenty-cigh ears he launched his annie:s to smashing victo- as thre Aztec dominion wer extend o the south and northeast. B ond this explosive.c mwth of territory and tribme, the state too on more forma.11 ch araote:ristics and b eg,an to achieve Jemarbb]e cohesion. tbe: same time, a genuine Aztec art style evolved as one mani tation ofth n ion ofimp ·311.ambition. A popul!ation exp1os· on foe ed by in-migration of o ther g,roups bad begun in me valley in th.e mid-fourteenth centu:iy, leading to an intensification of agricu]ture. This ,expansion was foUo ed by plagues and floods in the middle of the fifteenth. c:enrury thait produced catastrophic famine. After several years of near-starvation, during which increasirng reson w hum n acrifk failed 10, placat,e th. od , Aztec rul rs promoted chin mpa agri ulture and sought to expand their control over fertile lands..o ctezuma J's successor, Axaya~ rad (14 69-81), conqu red IlE!'t\' provinces, gaini:Qg contro] of traospon routes and towns 1 Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  8 PRE-COLD II I A M.E XICO e li tlh QGO vuca. , ?8)-acac A,tzaiootzaloo ◊ (!)T,,.,.Y:t.!i:!;w, Chiux!lt., Coyoad , J 1, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. 0 20 rlindpat Cities in the Valle, of Mexico during the Aztec Pe:dod ir-d to pay tribute. brav Eead r o fougbt furiously afo-g11id his common so]~ diers, Axayac:atl l t a I~ in one f his battles, He succ.e fully rought neighboring Tia o]co ,vith its great marketplace n Jff Merica control. b t failed to conquer the Tarascan empi th w :t, forcing hi to buHd border foni ficati:ons t k p th n my a , bay. H was sue.reeded by his brother Tizoc, whose ack of mUit.3!1'y success was accompanied by a oss of tributari,. Under th.e leadership of of Tizoc1s suc~or Ahuittod, th _great warrior king. from 14. 7 to 1502, dte Aztecs rnnquued the \'aUey of Oaxaca and pushed m down the Pacific coast to e,onusco, [nth fi, of hi r ign. Ahu"tzot w th dedicati n f n impr, sive new temple erected to honor the god Huitzilopochdi. In a ,ceremony lasting four days sacrificial victims taken during campaigns were fo,rmed in four column ,each sttetching Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  The Risu,J the Azlzt:s 49 This sculptme of a female deity ~ relle ed in an Aztec obsidian mirror with a \\uoden frame.. duee miles. By some esti ates, as many as twenty thousand human hea.ns, were tom out top eas - the sod. Prom·n nt gu - , seJeaed from am - and tributary tiowns1 were invited robe impressed ( n intimidated) by the might and glory of Tenochtitlan. In the frenzy of this ghastly pageant, exh ··on finally overcame the priests..The militant reign of Ahuitzod, with j pag an o Litka t rror. clo ed in 1502 wh n.:i~..,,.u.'C.laitally tru k hi head on a stone Hnte:i whUe trying to escape a flood.1 By thi tim the Aztec yoki includ d several h.und city-states or eilinic kingdoms with varied a"°"ngements in tribute obligations. Vhi e ,a city-state, or a tepetl, ac uiesc:oo to Aztec tu e age n a material sense, its inhabitants retained a sense of cultural or ethnic di f iv;en s , grounded in th ·r ingul tt" migration hi toi:y nd leader h"p. Re nt stl!ldy has suggested that the impressive expansion of Aztec h~emony in the first half e fifteenth century was mas1 nnind by Tlacaelel. who advised his brother Moct- ezuma I and succeeding rulers. D _ ·,_ ed in nati.ve histories wriuen after the conqu _ t as brave;. but also running. unsaupµlou s, and brutal. Tiacael el seJVed as a strategist fm b i ding Aztec politica ,w rand mil"tary dominan du ,ugh th expan io of warfare and human sacrifice. 1.In 2007, Mexican a:rdta.eologists repon.ed the pos.fiible discovery of Ahuitzotl's tomb in the Tempfo Mayor rnmp under a ston monolith repm,1ml:in,g dle Aztec earth deity, nnlte:cuhlli, symbol of the Aztec Te: nd death cyd ch a gni m lind · uld huh Ii t ofi~ kind Ince __ -c kl!'! wcr bd ti to have been arematedL The disc-Ovet}' revealed many e!U)Uisite offerings fit for a. king. Subsflqnent excavations in the Temp o nym ha\-e unrove:red sacrificial ston.es and mass buri.aD but not that of Ahuiuotl. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  5,0 l'R E- COLD 11 1 AN M.EXI CO !l f!G.Jllpl or Azte stone srul ptllllr. The central asin of Mexico was firmly under Aztec control, but in some rueas of the center and south where die Aztecs had won military vioories, foF example. in Oaxaca, re- belF on by Mixtec nd Zapote dty- tat d freque:nt1y, vm clo er to horn , several mountainous z.ones to the cast and south h arbomro independent states- most notabliy that o - axcala And to the wes , th· Tara · ca nev, r uccumb -d to Aztec domination. Th,e Tara.scan empire oompri ed. a score of city-states in. the modem.state of M"choacan., with its capital at Tzinztuntz.an n 4kc Partzcuaro. By trading with areas along the Pacific oo st and becoming hishlY militarized, th Tara.scan built a strong tat capa J ,o f r si ting die AzteC3. After Axayacatl's anny was soundly defeated in 1479, by a large Tarascan fore£ relying heavily on archery and some copper weapons, the Aztea. pulled back fro[D frontal assaul.ts on the·Thrascan empire The independent state of Tlaxcala was founded by one of the early Chichimec tribes in th region east of th mountains in'ng th Valley of M o. Al variou tim the TJa.xca- la ns wer,e allies of the Aztecs, but the relationship became increasjngly hostile as Tlaxcala forged a confederacy with several other city-states and strengthened its army with rnercemu:y Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  The Rise of the Awa 51 soldiers from areas defeated by the Aztecs. In addition to preseIVing autonomy, the Tlaxca- lans wanted to keep the Aztecs from taking over their trade in salt, cotton, and other items with the Gulf coast. The Aztecs seem to have been content to try to keep the 11axcalans iso- lated and to engage them in periodiclow-intensity warfare designed to wear them down and to obtain sacrificial victims. Known as 'Flower Wars, these battles, also practiced with other hostile states, came to form the main basis of the relationship between Aztecs and Tlaxcalans. A culture of war was not new to Mesoamerica, but the Aztecs had taken it to unprecedented levels. Wa.rfare had iwo main purposes: to increase the number of tribute-payers and to obtain captives for sacrifice. Neither objective would be served by killing large numbers of foes in battle. As the Aztecs' hold on key areas intensified, Flower Wars with recalcitrant city-states provided the o pporru- nity for the revered class of warriors to gain experience and to show their superiority. Military orders such as the jaguar and eagle knights accumulated prestige i these ritualized battles and obtained brave prisoners to be offered to the gods. Although these ceremonial engagements took place by invitation, the contests between 11axcalans and Aztecs only fed their enmity-a fact that would have ominous consequences with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1519. In 1502 the ill-starred Moctezuma II was electeefto succeed Ahuitzotl. He reigned as the most absolute o f Aztec lords, governing with great authority and enjoying the deference due a demigod. Educated to be a high priest. he later proved his valor on the field of brrtle. Under his reign, further expansion of the empire was hindered by the Thrascans on,f ue west while the vast, spa.rsely populated nonh