Xicotencatl II
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Xicotencatl II | |
---|---|
Regent of Tlaxcalla (de facto)[1] | |
Regency | ? - 1521 |
Tlatoani | Xicotencatl the Elder |
Died | 1521 (aged mid-30s) |
Father | Xicotencatl the Elder |
Xicotencatl II Axayacatl, also known as Xicotencatl the Younger (died 1521), was a prince and warleader, probably with the title of
Biography
An ethnic
He is known primarily as the leader of the force that was dispatched from Tlaxcallan to intercept the forces of Hernán Cortés and his Totonac allies as they entered Tlaxcallan territory when going inland from the Veracruz coast.[1]: 140–188 His actions are described in the letters of Cortés, Bernal Díaz del Castillo's Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España and in the histories of Tlaxcala, such as the one by Diego Muñoz Camargo.
Xicotencatl was described by Castillo as,
“…a tall man, broad shouldered, and well built, with a large fresh coloured face, full of scars, as if pitted with the smallpox. He may have been about thirty-five years of age, and was earnest and dignified in his deportment.”[4]
When fighting the Spaniards he used an ambush strategy; he first engaged the enemy with a small force that feigned a retreat, and then lured the Spaniards back to a better fortified position where the main force waited. The Spaniards retreated when too many of their men were killed or wounded, and they sought a peace treaty with the Tlaxcaltecs.
The Spaniards with the Tlaxcaltec forces marched on
When the final stage of the
The description of Xicotencatl has been subject to changing attitudes in the understanding of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. In the early period he was seen mostly as a traitor who tried to halt the arrival of the Spanish "liberation" of the Indians from Aztec dominance.[a] Later he was romantically construed as an indigenous hero who valiantly opposed the onslaught of the Spanish.[7]
Ethnohistorian Ross Hassig assessed his actions in terms of Tlaxcaltec politics, and he proposed that Xicotencatl was mostly acting to further the political interests of his own polity, that of Tizatlan, over the opposing faction of Ocotelolco. The charge of treason lodged against him and his subsequent execution were, in this view, the logical result of the Ocotelolcans finally achieving the upper hand.[citation needed]
See also
- Xicotencatl the Elder
References
- ^ a b c d Diaz Del Castillo (1963).
- ^ a b Muñoz Camargo (1892), Chapter IX.
- ^ Hassig (2001), p. 36.
- ^ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of the memoirs of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true and full account of the discovery and conquest of Mexico and New Spain (vol. 1 of 2)". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ Hassig (2001), p. 42.
- ^ Hassig (2001).
- ^ Hassig (2001), p. 29.
Notes
- ^ See for example the description in chapter IX of the Historia de Tlaxcala by Muñoz Camargo
Bibliography
- Diaz Del Castillo, Bernal (1963). The Conquest of New Spain (2 ed.). Pneguin Books. ISBN 9780140441239.
- OCLC 1568281.
- Muñoz Camargo, Diego (1892) [1585]. Historia de Tlaxcala. published and annotated by Alfredo Chavero, Mexico.