Tizatlan, in pre-Columbian Mexico, was one of the four independent altepemeh (polities, sing. altepetl) that constituted the confederation of

Tlaxcallan Tlaxcala ( , 'place of maize tortillas') was a pre-Columbian city and state in central Mexico. During the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Tlaxcaltecs allied with the Spanish Empire against their hated enemies, the Aztecs, supplying a ...

. Today Tizatlan is a part of the modern city of

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala, is one of the 32 federal entities that comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tlaxcala, 60 municipalities and t ...

, and the

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

city is visible as a small archaeological site in the San Esteban Tizatlán district of the city. The site is in the state of

in central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The name is

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

and contains the elements ''tizatl'' (chalk) and ''tlan'' (place).

History

Tizatlan was the third of the four altepemeh to be founded, but at the time of the

Spanish conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...

it was, along with

Ocotelolco Ocotelolco (sometimes spelled Ocotelulco), in pre-Columbian Mexico, was one of the four independent altepetl (polities) that constituted the confederation of Tlaxcallan. The site is in the present day state of Tlaxcala in central Mexico. History ...

, the most powerful of the four allied communities. Where Ocotelolco held the economical power, having the main market in the region, Tizatlan had the military power and commanded the Tlaxcallan armies. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico Tizatlan was ruled by the aging

Xicotencatl I Xicotencatl I or Xicotencatl the Elder (c. Aztec calendar, 11 House (1425) – c. Aztec calendar, 4 Rabbit (1522)) was a long-lived ''teuctli'' (elected official) of Tizatlan, a Nahua peoples, Nahua ''altepetl'' (city-state) within the Tlaxca ...

"the Elder" aided by his son the military leader

Xicotencatl II Xicotencatl II Axayacatl, also known as Xicotencatl the Younger (died 1521), was a prince and warleader, probably with the title of '' Tlacochcalcatl'', of the pre-Columbian state of Tlaxcala at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empir ...

"the Younger". Through a series of political events Ocotelolco finally achieved dominance over Tizatlan at the end of the conquest.

References

*Hassig, Ross (2001
"Xicotencatl: rethinking an indigenous Mexican hero"
Estudios de Cultura Nahuatl, UNAM (Estudios de Cultura Nahuatl). *Muñoz Camargo, Diego (1892 (1585)

published and annotated by

Alfredo Chavero Alfredo Chavero (1841–1906) was a Mexican archaeologist, politician, poet, and dramatist. According to Howard F. Cline, "Chavero's most enduring claim to remembrance rests...on iscompletion and extension of Ramírez's plans to republish maj ...

, Mexico. *Fargher, Lane F. (2007
In the Shadow of Popocatepetl: Archaeological Survey and Mapping at Tlaxcala, México.
FAMSI.

External links

Altepetl Archaeological sites in Tlaxcala Mesoamerican sites {{mesoamerica-stub