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Kings and Queens of Tlatelōlco
I’ve done linguistic analyses of the names of the queens and kings (tlahtohqueh) of the three seats of power in the Triple Alliance (Aztec Empire): Tlacōpan, Tetzcohco, Tenōchtitlan.
That last one sat on an island with its sister city, Tlatelōlco.
What about its rulers?
Now, Tlatelōlco means “place of the tlatelōlli,” or man-made hill. After a schism split the Mexica people, half of them moved to the northern end of the island, away from Tenōchtitlan, around 1337 CE. They erected a temple on a mound of dirt, essential for founding a city.
After four decades, they wanted legitimacy and power. So they reached out to Tezozomoc, ruler of the Tepanec Empire, asking for a king. He installed his son Cuacuauhpitzāhuac on their new throne in 1376.
Of course, the Tlatelōlcah (Mexica residents of that city )had no problem with a Tepanēcatl tlahtoāni. Tenōchtitlan, after all, had rulers whose ancestry blended multiple nationalities and/or tribal affiliations: Tepanēcah, Ahcolhuah, Cōlhuahqueh, etc.
Mācēhualtin (commoners) didn’t expect their leaders to be of the same bloodline as them.
Back to King Cuacuauhpitzāhuac. His name derives from “cuācuahuitl” (horn of an animal) and “pitzāhuac,” or “long and thin.” UT Austin alumni will be delighted to know…
