Itzcoatl was the fourth
tlatoaniTlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
(emperor) of the
AztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Often the term...
s, ruling from 1427 (or 1428) to 1440, the period when the
MexicaThe Mexica were a pre-Columbian people of central Mexico.Mexica may also refer to:*Mexica , a board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling*Mexica , a 2005 novel by Norman Spinrad...
threw off the domination of the
TepanecThe Tepanecs or Tepaneca are a Mesoamerican people who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. The Tepanec were a sister culture of the Aztecs as well as the Acolhua and others—these tribes spoke the Nahuatl language and shared the same general pantheon, with...
s and laid the foundations for the eventual Aztec Empire.
Itzcoatl was an illegitimate son of
AcamapichtliAcamapichtli was the first tlatoani, or ruler, of the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan, and founder of the Aztec imperial dynasty. He became ruler in 1375 and reigned for 19 years....
, the first Aztec
tlatoani. He himself was elected as
tlatoani when his predecessor,
ChimalpopocaChimalpopoca was the third tlatoani or Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan .-Rule:On the day of Chimalpopoca's coronation in 1417 , his Tlacaelel was named high priest...
, was killed by
MaxtlaMaxtla was a Tepanec ruler of Azcapotzalco from 1426 to his death in 1428. He succeeded his father Tezozomoc, possibly through assassination of his elder brother Tayauh. His reign saw a rapid decline in the fortunes of Azcapotzalco...
of the nearby Tepanec city-state of
AzcapotzalcoAzcapotzalco was a pre-Columbian Nahua altepetl in the Valley of Mexico, on the western shore of Lake Texcoco.The name Azcapotzalco means "at the anthill" in Nahuatl. Its inhabitants were called Azcapotzalca....
.
Itzcoatl was the fourth
tlatoaniTlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
(emperor) of the
AztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Often the term...
s, ruling from 1427 (or 1428) to 1440, the period when the
MexicaThe Mexica were a pre-Columbian people of central Mexico.Mexica may also refer to:*Mexica , a board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling*Mexica , a 2005 novel by Norman Spinrad...
threw off the domination of the
TepanecThe Tepanecs or Tepaneca are a Mesoamerican people who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. The Tepanec were a sister culture of the Aztecs as well as the Acolhua and others—these tribes spoke the Nahuatl language and shared the same general pantheon, with...
s and laid the foundations for the eventual Aztec Empire.
Itzcoatl was an illegitimate son of
AcamapichtliAcamapichtli was the first tlatoani, or ruler, of the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan, and founder of the Aztec imperial dynasty. He became ruler in 1375 and reigned for 19 years....
, the first Aztec
tlatoani. He himself was elected as
tlatoani when his predecessor,
ChimalpopocaChimalpopoca was the third tlatoani or Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan .-Rule:On the day of Chimalpopoca's coronation in 1417 , his Tlacaelel was named high priest...
, was killed by
MaxtlaMaxtla was a Tepanec ruler of Azcapotzalco from 1426 to his death in 1428. He succeeded his father Tezozomoc, possibly through assassination of his elder brother Tayauh. His reign saw a rapid decline in the fortunes of Azcapotzalco...
of the nearby Tepanec city-state of
AzcapotzalcoAzcapotzalco was a pre-Columbian Nahua altepetl in the Valley of Mexico, on the western shore of Lake Texcoco.The name Azcapotzalco means "at the anthill" in Nahuatl. Its inhabitants were called Azcapotzalca....
. Allying with
NezahualcoyotlNezahualcoyotl was a philosopher, warrior, architect, poet and ruler of the city-state of Texcoco in pre-Columbian Mexico...
of Texcoco, Itzcoatl went on to defeat Maxtla and end the Tepanec domination of central Mexico.
After this victory, Itzcoatl, Nezahualcoyotl, and Totoquilhuaztli,
tlatoani of
TlacopanTlacopan , also called Tacuba, was a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city-state situated on the western shore of Lake Texcoco.Founded by Tlacomatzin, Tlacopan was a Tepanec kingdom subordinate to nearby Azcapotzalco...
, forged what would become known as the
Aztec Triple AllianceThe Aztec Triple Alliance, also known as the Aztec Empire, was an alliance of three Aztec city-states: Tenochtitlan; Texcoco; and Tlacopan...
, forming the basis of the eventual Aztec empire.
Itzcoatl next turned his attention to the
chinampas districts on the south shores of
Lakes XochimilcoLake Xochimilco is an ancient endorheic lake located in the Valley of Mexico, part of a series of lakes, which included the brackish Lake Texcoco, Lake Zumpango, and Lake Xaltocan and the fresh water Lake Chalco...
and
ChalcoLake Chalco was an endorheic lake formerly located in the Valley of Mexico and was important for human development in central Mexico. The lake was named after the city of Chalco on its eastern shore....
. Fresh water springs lining these shores had allowed the development of extensive raised gardens, or
chinampas, set on the shallow lake floors. Successful campaigns against Xochimilco (1430), Mixquic (1432), Cuitlahuac (1433), and Tezompa would secure agricultural resources for
Tenochtitlan--Please DO NOT change the spelling of "Tenochtitlan" to "Tenochtitlán"There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán", like San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, in which case the accent is used. However, the Aztec capital is not spelled that way in either Spanish --Please DO NOT change the...
and, along with the conquest of
CulhuacanCulhuacan or Colhuacan was one of the Nahuatl-speaking pre-Columbian city-states of the Valley of Mexico. According to tradition, Culhuacan was founded by the Toltecs under Mixcoatl and was the first Toltec city...
and
CoyoacanCoyoacán is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. Coyoacán also is commonly used to refer to the neighborhood at the heart of the borough...
, would cement the Triple Alliance's control over the southern half of the
Valley of MexicoThe Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a center for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
.
With this string of victories, Itzcoatl took the title
Culhua tecuhtli, "Lord of the Culhua" while Totoquilhuaztli,
tlatoani of Tlacopan, took the title
Tepaneca tecuhtli, "Lord of the Tepanecs".
In 1439, Itzcoatl undertook a campaign outside the Valley of Mexico against Cuauhnahuac (modern day
CuernavacaCuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It is also a municipality. It is located about south of Mexico City on the D-95 freeway....
).
According to the
Madrid CodexThe Florentine Codex is the name given to 12 books created under the supervision of Bernardino de Sahagún between approximately 1540 and 1585. It is a copy of original source materials which are now lost, perhaps destroyed by the Spanish authorities who confiscated Sahagún's manuscripts...
, Itzcoatl ordered the burning of all historical
codicesA codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with separate pages normally bound together and given a cover...
because it was "not wise that all the people should know the paintings". Among other purposes, this allowed the Aztec state to develop a state-sanctioned history and mythos that venerated
HuitzilopochtliIn Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan...
.
Itzcoatl also continued the building of Tenochtitlán: during his reign temples, roads, and a causeway were built. Itzcóatl established the religious and governmental hierarchy that was assumed by
Moctezuma IMoctezuma I , also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I , was the fifth Aztec emperor. During his reign the Aztec Empire was consolidated, major expansion was undertaken and Tenochtitlan started becoming the dominant partner of the Aztec Triple Alliance...
upon his death in 1440.