Kings and Queens of Texcoco

About a year ago, I did threads analyzing the names of Mexica kings and queens. I’ve been asked to do the same for the Tetzcohca royalty (the rulers of Tetzcohco or “Texcoco,” one of the three seats of power in the Triple Alliance or “Aztec Empire”).

Okay, let’s do this!

Tetzcohco (Texcoco) was founded by a Chichimec chieftain, Quinatzin Tlāltecatzin. His first name does not appear to be Nahuatl (though it bears the reverential suffix). If we look at his name glyph, however, we see that it apparently meant “growling deer.”

You’ll note, along with the deer head icon, the king is dressed in animal skins and has wild, unkempt hair (because he was a Chichimec, a barbarian of the northern deserts).

His second name is odd. It’s the reverential form of “Tlāltecatl,” literally “inhabitant of the earth,” from “tlālli” (earth) and the suffix “-tecatl” (person from X).

So “Growling Deer the Earthling,” basically. Heh.

Quinatzin married an Ahcolhua princess from Huexotla, Cuāuhcihuātzin (“revered eagle woman,” also a title of the goddess Quilaztli).

Their son was Techotlalatzin.

Techotlala (without the reverential suffix) is a strange name, clearly not Nahuatl. In his name glyph, the rock or “tētl” appears (for the sound “te-”) & then a bird (perhaps a species that sounded like “chotla” or a reference to verbs beginning with “cho-” that meant “to peck”).

Techotlalatzin won the throne after his four older brothers all rebelled against their father, siding with their enemies. Once crowned, he was the first king of Tetzcohco to adopt Nahuatl as the state language.

Like his father, he welcomed Nahua immigrants, especially Toltecs.

In the Codex Xolotl, we see him conferring (sometime during his reign, which lasted from 1377 to 1409) with the leaders of the Tepanēcah, Huitznāhuaqueh, Cōlhuahqueh and (drum roll) Mexihtin.

You know, the people that will one day call themselves Mexica?