This is a list of

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

n ''

tlatoque ''Tlahtoāni'' ( , "ruler, sovereign"; plural ' ) is a historical title used by the dynastic rulers of (singular ''āltepētl'', often translated into English as "city-state"), autonomous political entities formed by many pre-Columbian Nahuatl- ...

'' of the ''

altepetl The ( , plural ''altepeme'' or ''altepemeh'') was the local, ethnically-based political entity, usually translated into English as "city-state", of pre-Columbian Nahuatl-speaking societiesSmith 1997 p. 37 in the Americas. The ''altepetl'' was ...

'' of Tetzcoco from the first ''tlatoani'' in 1298 to the end of the line of indigenous rulers. From the early 15th century to 1521, Tetzcoco was one of the three leading members of the Triple Alliance, commonly known as the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

, but was often subservient to the rulers of Tenochtitlan. The Aztec Empire was

conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...

by Spain in 1521, but the Spanish colonial authorities continued to appoint ''tlatoque'' of Tetzcoco until the office was abolished in 1564.

Pre-colonial rulers (1298–1521)

Early Tetzcoco (1298–1431)

The ''tlatoque'' of Tetzcoco were descendants and successors of earlier ''tlatoque'' of the

Chichimeca Chichimeca () is the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples who were established in present-day Bajío region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the same meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" tha ...

, succeeding

Xolotl In Aztec mythology, Xolotl () was a god of fire and lightning. He was commonly depicted as a dog-headed man and was a soul-guide for the dead. He was also god of twins, monsters, death, misfortune, sickness, and deformities. Xolotl is the canin ...

(1172–1232), Nopaltzin (1232–1263) and Tlotzin (1263–1298).

In the Triple Alliance (1431–1521)

Colonial period (1521–1564)

The line of ''tlatoque'' continued in Tetzococo after the Spanish conquest. Adept at navigating the new Spanish colonial governing system and adapting to changing circumstances, many of the nobles of Tetzcoco, including the ''tlatoque'', came through the cataclysmic downfall of the Aztec Empire in a stronger position than they had been previously. Allowing the nobility of Tetzcoco to continue to appoint local rulers of the same pre-colonial dynasty was also beneficial for the Spaniards, who utilized their legitimacy to ensure the delivery of tribute and political subordination. The state of affairs in Tetzcoco after the death of Ihuian in 1564 is unclear given that few surviving sources discuss local politics during this time. It seems that the position of ''tlatoani'' was left vacant due to interfamilial conflict in regard to who was to be the next ruler, which in turn led to the office being entirely replaced by the Spanish-appointed governors of the city.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Cite book , last=Lee , first=Jongsoo , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-orgCwAAQBAJ , title=Texcoco: Prehispanic and Colonial Perspectives , publisher=University Press of Colorado , year=2014 , isbn=978-1-60732-284-9 , location=Boulder, Colorado , chapter=The Aztec Triple Alliance: A Colonial Transformation of the Prehispanic Political and Tributary System Texcoco

Tlatoque ''Tlahtoāni'' ( , "ruler, sovereign"; plural ' ) is a historical title used by the dynastic rulers of (singular ''āltepētl'', often translated into English as "city-state"), autonomous political entities formed by many pre-Columbian Nahuatl- ...