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28-580: In 1337, thirteen years after the foundation of Tenochtitlan, the Tlatelolca declared themselves independent from the Tenochca and inaugurated their first independent tlatoani (dynastic ruler). Under the king Quaquapitzahuac (1376–1417), the first two stages of the Main Pyramid of Tlatelolco were constructed. Under Tlacateotl (1417–1428), the Tlatelolca assisted the Tenochca in the war against

56-486: A patron god particular to the identity of the altepetl and a central market. Altepeme were typically multiethnic and communal cohesion was often maintained through territorial exclusiveness. Local rulers of altepeme generally retained their authority over taxation and land distribution while under the indirect rule of an empire in exchange for their submission, participation in military campaigns, and tribute payments. However, starting with Moctezuma Ilhuicamina I in

84-554: A place within the new colonial order. Matlatzinca and Otomi peoples in the Valley of Toluca as well as Mixtecs in Oaxaca used baptisms as a means of reclaiming local authority after years of Mexica imperialism in the face of Spanish rule. Throughout the 1520s and 1530s, altepeme retained their autonomy through Christianization and local rulers now adopted new Spanish Christian names: "the names of local elite began to echo those of

112-475: Is a historical title used by the dynastic rulers of āltepēmeh (singular āltepētl , often translated into English as " city-state "), autonomous political entities formed by many pre-Columbian Nahuatl -speaking peoples in the Valley of Mexico during the Postclassic Period . The title of huēyi tlahtoāni  [ es ] ( [ˈweːjiˀ t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːniˀ] , "great ruler, emperor")

140-481: The Tepanec empire, dominated by Azcapotzalco . Shortly thereafter, the first war between the Tenochca and Tlatelolca erupted. Also during Tlacateotl's reign, the third stage of the Main Pyramid was constructed. Under Quauhtlatoa (1428–1460), the Tlatelolca conquered the city-state of Ahuilizapan (now Orizaba, Veracruz ), and fought against the people of Chalco along with the Tenochca. The fourth and fifth stages of

168-591: The Tlatelolco (archaeological site) in what is now part of Mexico City . The excavations of the prehispanic city-state are centered on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas , a square surrounded on three sides by an excavated Aztec site, a 17th-century church called Templo de Santiago , and the modern office complex of the Mexican foreign ministry . In February 2009, the discovery of a mass grave with 49 human bodies

196-595: The tlahtoāni would be informed immediately of deaths and captures of his warriors. He would also be in charge of informing his citizens about fallen or captive warriors, and would present gifts to the successful ones. There were eleven tlahtohqueh of Tenochtitlan. Beginning with Itzcoatl, the tlahtoāni of Tenochtitlan was also the huēyi tlahtoāni of the Aztec Empire . Altepetl The altepetl ( Classical Nahuatl : āltepētl [aːɬ.ˈté.peːt͡ɬ] , plural altepeme or altepemeh )

224-586: The 1440s, Aztec imperialist efforts over the altepetl deepened by removing the powers of taxation from local rulers and replacing non-compliant rulers with military governors. These heightened pressures produced unstable conditions in Mesoamerica in which altepetl frequently rebelled by withholding tributes and pursuing secession . Cuauhnahuac, a major altepetl of the southern Aztec empire, rebelled on three occasions. The Aztecs responded with intense violence, which only fueled more violence in response. At

252-625: The Main Pyramid were constructed in this period. The ruler Moquihuix (1460–1473) constructed the sixth stage of the temple, but in 1473, in the Battle of Tlatelolco , he was defeated by the Tenochca tlatoani Axayacatl , and Tlatelolco was made subject to Tenochtitlan. Itzcuauhtzin ruled Tlatelolco during a period in which it was almost completely incorporated into Tenochtitlan. In his Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España , conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo made several observations regarding Tlatelolco. He opined that its temple

280-566: The Spanish conquistadores and their allies, but would ultimately fall along with the rest of the island to Spain . After the completion of the two-year Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, the Spanish conquerors established the ruins of Mexico-Tenochtitlan as the Spanish capital of New Spain . The remnants of the indigenous populations of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco following the conquest were administered by indigenous elites in

308-547: The Spanish but soon joined the conquest effort as a crucial ally against the Aztec Empire. After the fall of Tenōchtitlan in 1521, the Spanish increasingly demanded that altepetl rulers publicly destroy their figures of deities (referred to as idols by the Spanish) and whitewash temple walls. While destroying idols had represented a transfer of sovereignty and tributes to the conquering power in Mesoamerican politics, with

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336-542: The center of Indigenous identity. Residents referred to themselves by the name of their altepetl rather than, for instance, as "Mexicas". "Altepetl" was a polyvalent term rooting the social and political order in the creative powers of a sacred mountain that contained the ancestors, seeds and life-giving forces of the community. The word is a combination of the Nahuatl words ātl (meaning "water") and tepētl (meaning "mountain"). A characteristic Nahua mode

364-573: The fall of Tenōchtitlan, the balance of power shifted heavily in favor of the Spanish, who forced Christianization upon the various altepeme . As it became clear to each altepetl that the Spanish were in Mesoamerica to stay, they quickly learned to use conversion as a means of gaining political capital. By 1523, nobles in Tenōchtitlan had requested baptisms and provided them with properties for their monasteries and churches to assure themselves

392-643: The incorporated Indian towns of Santiago Tlatelolco and San Juan Tenochtitlan. Tlatelolco remained an important location in the colonial era, partly because of the foundation there, of the school for elite indigenous men, the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco , which was the first school of higher learning in the Americas. Today its remains are located within Mexico City . In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, archeological excavations have taken place at

420-420: The invasion of the Spanish, Indigenous peoples soon realized "that in the Spanish context it implied a far more sweeping, cosmic transformation." From the inception of contact between the altepetl and the Spanish conquistadors, submission to Christianity was non-negotiable. As described by historian Ryan Dominic Crewe, "the Spanish offered two clear options: accept Christianity and be saved in this world and in

448-697: The literal meaning of "one who speaks". In English, it has been translated variously as "king", "sovereign", "ruler" or, based on its etymology, " speaker ". It takes the plural form tlahtohqueh ( [t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔkeʔ] ), and the construct form * tlahtohcā- , as in tlahtohcāyōtl ("rulership, realm"), tlahtohcātlālli ("royal lands"), and tlahtohcācalli ("royal palace"). Related titles include tlahtohcāpilli ( [t͡ɬaʔtoʔkaːˈpilːiˀ] ), given to princes and other prominent noblemen, and cihuātlahtoāni ( [siwaːt͡ɬaʔtoˈaːniˀ] ), used to designate noblewomen including consorts or princesses . The cihuācōātl

476-566: The main temples in Tenōchtitlan, Texcoco , and Tlaxcala, including the Temple of Huītzilōpōchtli , which housed the archives of Texcoco. This wave of violence initiated by the Spanish missionaries emanated outward throughout what would soon become New Spain . A letter written by Christianized Indigenous nobles to the Spanish crown in 1560 records that "people of many altepetl were forced and tortured [or] were hanged or burned because they did not want to relinquish idolatry, and unwillingly received

504-403: The men who were turning out to be their overlords rather than their liberators." Spanish missionaries imposed forms of symbolic and physical violence in the altepetl in order to erect "a new universe of meaning" for Indigenous peoples. A coordinated assault was launched by missionaries and conquistadors on Indigenous priests and adherents on January 1, 1525, which resulted in the destruction of

532-406: The next, or resist it and face damnation in both." Prior to the fall of Tenōchtitlan, the Spanish could not force compliance because of their heavy dependency on those whom they were admonishing. Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo wrote that "more often than not hungry Spanish soldiers would read their protocol and then promptly settle into a meal prepared by those they had just admonished." After

560-408: The resolution of judicial disputes. Typically a dynastic ruler hailing from the royal lineage, the tlahtoāni served for life. However, in certain instances, a council of nobles, elders, and priests could elect a tlahtoāni from a pool of four candidates. The term tlahtoāni ( [t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːniˀ] ) is an agent noun derived from the verb tlahtoa , meaning "to speak", thereby carrying

588-598: The time of Spanish invasion in 1519, the Aztec Empire alone consisted of approximately 450 altepeme . The Spanish recognized and exploited the preexisting political divisions among the various altepeme and the Aztecs, inciting dissident city-states to rebel. No "super-altepetl" identity existed to unite against the Spanish. The Totonacs of Cempoala were among the first to ally with the Spanish, having only recently been brought under Aztec control after many years of resistance. The Tlaxcaltec of Tlaxcala initially resisted

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616-417: Was announced by archaeologists. The grave is considered unusual because the bodies are laid out ritually. 19°27′04″N 99°08′15″W  /  19.4511°N 99.1375°W  / 19.4511; -99.1375 Tlatoani Tlahtoāni ( Classical Nahuatl : tlahtoāni pronounced [t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːniˀ] , "ruler, sovereign"; plural tlahtohqueh [t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔkeʔ] )

644-499: Was presented to him from those reports to be able to construct a layout of the enemy. This was essential because this ensured the safety and success of each battle. These layouts would be heavily detailed from city structures to surrounding area. The tlahtoāni would be the most informed about any conflict and would be the primary decision maker during war. He would also be in charge of gaining support from allied rulers by sending gifts and emissaries from his city-state. During warfare

672-464: Was the greatest in all of Mexico. Regarding its marketplace, he wrote that the Spanish "were astonished at the number of people and the quantity of merchandise that it contained, and at the good order and control that was maintained, for we had never seen such a thing before." During Cortés's siege of Tenochtitlan , the Mexicas would retreat to Tlatelolco, and even achieve a successful ambush against

700-512: Was the local, ethnically -based political entity, usually translated into English as " city-state ", of pre-Columbian Nahuatl -speaking societies in the Americas . The altepetl was constituted of smaller units known as calpolli and was typically led by a single dynastic ruler known as a tlatoani , although examples of shared rule between up to five rulers are known. Each altepetl had its own jurisdiction, origin story, and served as

728-512: Was the second in command after the tlahtoāni , was a member of the nobility, served as the supreme judge for the court system, appointed all lower court judges, and handled the financial affairs of the āltepētl . During times of war, the tlahtoāni would be in charge of creating battle plans, and making strategies for his army. He would draft these plans after receiving information from various scouts, messengers, and spies who were sent out to an enemy āltepētl (city-state). Detailed information

756-469: Was to imagine the totality of the people of a region or of the world as a collection of altepetl units and to speak of them on those terms. The concept is comparable to Maya cah and Mixtec ñuu . Altepeme formed a vast complex network which predated and outlasted larger empires, such as the Aztec and Tarascan state . Established altepeme were characterized by a central temple dedicated to

784-410: Was used by the rulers of the Aztec Empire , an alliance between the āltepēmeh of Tenochtitlan , Tetzcoco , and Tlacopan . Each āltepētl had its own tlahtoāni who would concurrently function as its ruler, high priest and commander-in-chief . The tlahtoāni wielded ultimate authority over all land within the āltepētl , overseeing tribute collection, market activities, temple affairs, and

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