Diego Huanitzin
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By Diego Huanitzin
Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin was an Aztec puppet ruler under the Spanish between 1539-1541.
Acording to the nahuatl text "Anales de Tlatelolco", he was son of Tezozomoctli Acolnahuacatl, the brother of Moctezuma Xocóyotzin.
He had been designated governor (tlatoani) of Ecatépec by Moctezuma, in the year 2 Técpatl after the death of Chimalpilli the former tlatoani. Moctezuma was already prisioner of Cortez in Tenochtitlan, the people of Ecatepec acept him as their ruler, but they hide him along his mother.
After the fall of Tenochtitlan, he was one of the five aztec lords keept captive by Cortez along a Cuauhtemoc, the cihuacohuatl Tlacotzin, Oquiztzin, and Motelchiuhtzin. Along them he was also tortured, with his feet burned, because of the gold lost by the spaniards when they had to flee Tenochtitlan.
He was baptisized as "Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin" and taken along Cortez in his travel to honduras. He was spared from execution when Cuauhtemoc was hanged by Cortez along with Tetlepanquetzatzin, tlatoani of Tlacopan and don Pedro Cohuanacochtzin.
After the return of Cortez, Huanitzin was released and returned as Tlatoani of Ecatepec, where he ruled 14 years.
As grandson of a former Tlatoani, in the year 7 Tochtli (1538), he was chosen as the first governor of Tenochtitlan (Mexico), by the don Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of México. Tenochtitlan had been without official ruler for almost a year.
He also was an amanteca, an artist who works on feathers, and is credited with one of the earlier works of Christian art in America (1539), a representation of the Mass of St. Gregory, done in feathers on a wood panel.
His son, don Cristóbal de Guzmán Cecepaticatzin would also be governor of Tenochtitlan. Because of the influence of his name, "don Antonio Valeriano el Viejo" married to his daughter, doña Isabel de Alvarado would be designated judge governor of Tenochtitlan, after the title of Governor of Tenochtitlan would have disappear.
Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin died in 1541.
[edit] References
Information taken from Anales de Tlatelolco, XVI-XVII CONACULTA ISBN: 9703505074
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Chimalpilli II |
Tlatoani of Ecatepec 1520–1539 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by Pablo Xochiquentzin |
Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan 1539–1541 |
Succeeded by Diego de San Francisco Tehuetzquitizin |
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