Everything about Itzcoatl totally explained
Itzcoatl ("Obsidian Serpent" in
Nahuatl) was the fourth
tlatoani (emperor) of the
Aztecs, ruling from
1427 (or
1428) to
1440, the period when the Mexica (as the Aztecs called themselves) threw off the domination of the
Tepanecs and laid the foundations for the eventual Aztec Empire.
Itzcoatl was the son of
Acamapichtli, the first Aztec
tlatoani. He himself was elected as
tlatoani when his predecessor,
Chimalpopoca, was killed by
Maxtla of the nearby Tepanec city-state of
Azcapotzalco. Allying with
Nezahualcoyotl 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
Tlacopan, forged what would become known as the
Aztec Triple Alliance, forming the basis of the eventual Aztec empire.
Itzcoatl next turned his attention to the
chinampas districts on the south shores of
Lakes Xochimilco and
Chalco. 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 and, along with the conquest of
Culhuacan and
Coyoacan, would cement the Triple Alliance's control over the southern half of the
Valley of Mexico.
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
Cuernavaca).
According to the
Madrid Codex, Itzcoatl ordered the burning of all historical
codices 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
Huitzilopochtli.
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 I upon his death in 1440.
Footnotes
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