Xochitl (
pronunciation
r. 877–916) was a

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

empress consort and wife of Tecpancaltzin Iztaccaltzin. Her existence beyond legend is questionable, and accounts of her life are mainly based on the writings of indigenous historian Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl.

Biography

Xochitl was a mistress of the Toltec Emperor Tecpancaltzin, bearing him a son. (Tecpancaltzin had only daughters by his first wife, Maxio). After Maxio died, Xochitl became recognized as empress. Her son became heir and was known as Topiltzin- Meconetzin. When she was elderly, civil war erupted in the Toltec Empire. Xochitl called upon other women to join her in battle, and created and led a battalion composed entirely of women soldiers. She died on the battlefield. The son of Xochitl and Tecpancaltzin, Topiltzin, was the last of the Toltec kings, before he was overthrown in the civil war. It was during the final stand of the Toltecs at Tultitlan that Tecpancaltzin and Xochitl were slain in battle.

Depiction in art

A well-known painting of Xochitl and Tecpancaltzin, ''El descubrimiento del pulque'', was completed in 1869 by Mexican artist José Obregón. Obregón was trained, and painted in, a classical style popular in the 19th century. ''El descubrimiento del pulque'' is based on historian Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl's description of Xochitl as a beautiful virgin brought to Tecpancaltzin by her father, Papatzin. Papatzin was a Toltec noble, and a cultivator of maguey plants, also called

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

plants and related to aloe. Xochitl presented to Tecpancaltzin a drink that she and/or her father invented,

pulque Pulque (; ), occasionally known as octli or agave wine, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, ...

, made from the honey of maguey. The painting was part of a cultural rise in Mexican nationalism during the period, yet the influence of classical European art symbolism appears throughout the painting. More recently, Xochitl appears as one of the 999 women included in American artist

Judy Chicago Judy Chicago (born Judith Sylvia Cohen; July 20, 1939) is an American feminist artist, art educator, and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces about birth and creation images, which examine the role of women in history ...

's installation work, ''

The Dinner Party ''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by American feminist artist Judy Chicago. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table for 39 mythical and historical famous women. Sacajawea, Sojourner Truth, Eleanor of Aquitaine, ...

''. Xochitl is named in the Heritage Floor.

References

{{Reflist History of Mesoamerica Mesoamerican warfare All-female military units and formations Native American women in warfare Women in medieval warfare Toltec people Toltec history 10th-century empresses consort 9th-century empresses consort