The Aztec Kings

Winner of the Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Book Award from the American Society for Ethnohistory, The Aztec Kings is the first major study to take into account the Aztec cyclical conception of time and treat indigenous historical traditions as symbolic statements in narrative form. Susan D. Gillespie focuses on the dynastic history of the Mexica of Tenochtitlan. By demonstrating that most of Aztec history is nonliteral, she sheds new light on Aztec culture and on the function of history in society. By relating the cyclical structure of Aztec dynastic history to similar traditions of African and Polynesian peoples, she introduces a broader perspective on the function of history in society and on how and why history must change.

The enigmatic and powerful Tlacaelel (1398–1487), wrote annalist Chimalpahin, was “the beginning and origin” of the Mexica monarchy in fifteenth-century Mesoamerica. Brother of the first Moteuczoma, Tlacaelel would become “the most powerful, feared, and esteemed man of all that the world had seen up to that time.” But this outsize figure of Aztec history has also long been shrouded in mystery. In Tlacaelel Remembered, the first biography of the Mexica nobleman, Susan Schroeder searches out the truth about his life and legacy. A century after Tlacaelel’s death, in the wake of the conquistadors, Spaniards and natives recorded the customs, histories, and language of the Nahua, or Aztec, people. Three of these chroniclers—fray Diego Durán, don Hernando Alvarado Tezozomoc, and especially don Domingo de San Antón Muñón Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin—wrote of Tlacaelel. But the inaccessibility of Chimalpahin’s annals has meant that for centuries of Aztec history, Tlacaelel has appeared, if at all, as a myth. Working from Chimalpahin’s newly available writings and exploring connections and variances in other source materials, Schroeder draws the clearest possible portrait of Tlacaelel, revealing him as the architect of the Aztec empire’s political power and its military might—a politician on par with Machiavelli. As the advisor to five Mexica rulers, Tlacaelel shaped the organization of the Mexica state and broadened the reach of its empire—feats typically accomplished with the spread of warfare, human sacrifice, and cannibalism. In the annals, he is considered the “second king” to the rulers who built the empire, and is given the title “Cihuacoatl,” used for the office of president and judge. As Schroeder traces Tlacaelel through the annals, she also examines how his story was transmitted and transformed in later histories. The resulting work is the most complete and comprehensive account ever given of this significant figure in Mesoamerican history.

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, University of Paderborn (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Chicano and Chicana Literature and Culture, language: English, abstract: The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is located on the remains of an old city. This city, which was once big and gorgeous and was called Tenochtitlan, was razed to the ground in a very short period of time and in a very cruel manner by foreign invaders on August 13th, 1521. Once Tenochtitlan was a capital city of the Aztecs (or how they called themselves Mexica), which they founded in the year 1325. In the course of only few centuries they managed to establish an immense empire, which is known as the Aztec empire today. The Mexica/Aztecs mark the beginning of the Mexican culture. Thus, in this term paper I will be dealing with the Chicano culture at its very beginning. Who were the Aztecs? What does Aztec mean? Where did they come from? And how did they manage to establish such a big and powerful empire? Why Tenochtitlan has been destroyed? This term paper works with these questions. In order to answer them, a little journey through the history has to be done. Hence, this term paper also offers an overview of the most important events that occurred at that time. But my primary concern will be to find out how the European invaders managed to overthrow the Aztec empire. Or how could the Aztec empire fall to a small group of Spanish invaders? How is it possible? In other words, I would like to find out the reasons for the fall of the Aztec empire. A paper about the history, and especially the Ancient history, is a hard venture. Because of a great variety of secondary literature and accordingly of the different opinions and views of the authors of this books relating to this theme one can quickly lose track of things. The analysis is getting even more difficult because we have only few source documents from the Aztecs today, so that one can not know for sure what really happened at that time. The information about the Aztecs survived in the Aztec codices like, for example, Codex Mendoza, where the conquests of the Aztec kings and tribute areas are registered, it contains also a short ethnographic overview. Other documents, that we have today, are basically chronicles of the Spanish conquerors, for example, “Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España” written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo; or 5 letters of Cortés to the Spanish king.

The Aztec Empire did not recoil from the face of an impending doom, they struggled faithfully. Destined to emerge from their humble beginnings, it grew into a highly-complex devoted civilization refusing to live at the mercy of more neighboring powerful rulers. Their powerful pocheca combed the valley for luxury items while markets dotted their lands. Inside you will find... ✓ Introduction ✓ How the Aztecs Are Portrayed and How Their History Survives ✓ Defining Moments and their Search to Expand and Save the World ✓ Their Philosophy: its Impact on Social Life and How it Served the Kings ✓ Conclusion Isolated from the Old World until the devastating Spanish conquest, the Aztec mācēhualtin (commoners) and nobles enhanced their positions while kings and relentless warriors dealt with the political realities of powerful dynasties and rivaling kingdoms. They developed a philosophy, an order and a society built on loyalty, stoic honor and sacrifice as they embraced the temporary nature of things. Investigate the era of the Fifth Sun and what defined the Aztecs and their relationship with the divine.

A dramatic rethinking of the encounter between Montezuma and Hernando Cortés that completely overturns what we know about the Spanish conquest of the Americas On November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. This introduction—the prelude to the Spanish seizure of Mexico City and to European colonization of the mainland of the Americas—has long been the symbol of Cortés’s bold and brilliant military genius. Montezuma, on the other hand, is remembered as a coward who gave away a vast empire and touched off a wave of colonial invasions across the hemisphere. But is this really what happened? In a departure from traditional tellings, When Montezuma Met Cortés uses “the Meeting”—as Restall dubs their first encounter—as the entry point into a comprehensive reevaluation of both Cortés and Montezuma. Drawing on rare primary sources and overlooked accounts by conquistadors and Aztecs alike, Restall explores Cortés’s and Montezuma’s posthumous reputations, their achievements and failures, and the worlds in which they lived—leading, step by step, to a dramatic inversion of the old story. As Restall takes us through this sweeping, revisionist account of a pivotal moment in modern civilization, he calls into question our view of the history of the Americas, and, indeed, of history itself.

Explore the Captivating History and Mythology of the Aztec! Nothing remains of the ancient Mesoamerican civilization who called themselves the Mexica, better known to us as the Aztecs. Nothing except for their remarkable story. In this book, we discuss their enigmatic origins and how the Aztecs rose from nomadic tribes to the dominant power in Mesoamerica at an astounding speed. You'll wander the streets of their great capital city of Tenochtitl�n, known as "the Venice of the New World" among the Spanish Conquistadors, who spread the term all over Europe. You'll discover the full extent of the city's splendour, visiting its many market stalls, smelling fresh chocolate and vanilla pods. You'll indulge in a taste of ripe, hand-picked avocados and freshly baked corn tortillas, as you decipher N�huatl, the language spoken by the 50,000 merchants who visited Tenochtitl�n every day. You'll probably wonder how this great city, built in the middle of a lake and isolated by two of Mexico's highest mountains, Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl, could ever be defeated. From the arrival of the first Spaniards in 1519 to the eventual fall of the Aztec empire, we'll talk you through the major battles that eventually led to its fall. We'll uncover lies and deceptions in the alliance with their neighbouring cities of Tetzcoco and Tlacopan. We'll also look at Aztec legacy on the world today: how Tenochtitl�n became the basis for the capital of the New World and evolved into today's Mexico City. Some of the topics and questions covered in this book include: The Origins of Aztecs: A Tribe Destined for Greatness The Unwelcome Arrival in Mexico Valley The Rise of Tenochtitl�n and the Triple Alliance The Greatest Aztec Kings and Their Heritage The Splendor of Tenochtitl�n A Guided Tour Around Tenochtitl�n Rites, Rituals, and Delicious Recipes The Fall of Tenochtitl�n And a Great Deal More that You don't Want to Miss out on! Get the book now to learn more about the Aztecs!

This book offers views of Aztec lives and their interactions in rituals, markets, courts, and on the battlefield.