Tlacaelel
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Tlacaelel (1397 – 1487) was the nephew of Itzcoatl (1427 – 1440) and brother of Moctezuma Ilhuicamina (1440 – 1469), the first and second Mexica ("Aztec") emperors.
According to Diego Durán's History of the Indies of New Spain, Tlacaelel was one of the primary architects of the Aztec empire. First he was given the office of Tlacochcalcatl under the reign of his uncle Itzcoatl but during the war against the Tepanecs in the late 1420s, was promoted to first adviser to the ruler, the position called Cihuacoatl in Nahuatl, an office that he held during the reigns of four consecuive Tlatoque, until his death in 1487.
Tlacaelel recast or strengthened the concept of the Aztecs as a chosen people and elevated the tribal god/hero Huitzilopochtli to top of the pantheon of gods. 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 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.
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.
[edit] References
- Borderlands [1]
