Tlacaelel

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Tlacaelel
Tlacochcalcatl of Tenochtitlan
Tlacaelel was a tlacochcalcatl. Picture from Codex Mendoza.
Born1397[1]
Tenochtitlan
Died1487 (aged 89-90)
Aztec Empire
SpouseMaquiztzin
IssueCacamatzin
Tlilpotoncatzin
Xiuhpopocatzin
FatherEmperor Huitzilihuitl
MotherQueen Cacamacihuatl

Tlacaelel I (1397

Mexica (Aztec) empire.[3][4] He was the son of Emperor Huitzilihuitl and Queen Cacamacihuatl, nephew of Emperor Itzcoatl, father of poet Macuilxochitzin, and brother of Emperors Chimalpopoca and Moctezuma I
.

During the reign of his uncle Itzcoatl, Tlacaelel was given the office of

Nahuatl
, an office that Tlacaelel held during the reigns of four consecutive Tlatoque, until his death in 1487.

Tlacaelel recast or strengthened the concept of the Aztecs as a

Huitzilopochtli to top of the pantheon of gods,[5] and increased militarism.[6] In tandem with this, Tlacaelel is said to have increased the level and prevalence of human sacrifice, particularly during a period of natural disasters that started in 1446 (according to Diego Durán). Durán also states that it was during the reign of Moctezuma I, as an invention of Tlacaelel that the flower wars, in which the Aztecs fought Tlaxcala
and other Nahuan city-states, were instigated.

To strengthen the Aztec nobility, he helped create and enforce

sumptuary laws, prohibiting commoners from wearing certain adornments such as lip plugs, gold armbands, and cotton cloaks. He also instigated a policy of burning the books of conquered peoples with the aim of erasing all memories of a pre-Aztec past.[7][8][9]

When he dedicated the seventh reconstruction of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, Tlacaelel had brought his nation to the height of its power. The dedication took place in 1484 and was celebrated with the sacrifice of many war captives. After Tlacaelel's death in 1487, the Mexica Empire continued to expand north into the Gran Chichimeca and south toward the Maya lands.[10]

In popular culture

Inspiration for the main character in the novel, "Tlacaelel, El Azteca entre los Aztecas", by Mexican author Antonio Velasco Piña.

References

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  8. ^ Madrid Codex, VIII, 192v, as quoted in León-Portilla, p. 155.
    OCLC 181727
    .
    Note that León-Portilla finds Tlacaelel to be the instigator of this burning, despite lack of specific historical evidence.
  9. ^ SilverMoon. "FRAY BERNARDINO DE S AHAGUN AND THE NAHUA: CONFLICTING INTERESTS INTERTWINED" (PDF). scholarworks. Montana State University. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. ^ Schroeder, Susan (2016). Talcaelel Remembered: Mastermind of the Aztec Empire. University of Oklahoma Press.
Preceded by Tlacochcalcatl Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
Cihuacoatl Succeeded by
Tlilpotonqui