Axayacatl#Military actions and death

Axayacatl was a son of the princess Atotoztli II and her cousin, prince Tezozomoc. He was a grandson of the Emperors Moctezuma I and Itzcoatl. He was a descendant of the king Cuauhtototzin.

He was a successor of Moctezuma and his brothers were Emperors Tizoc and Ahuitzotl and his sister was the Queen Chalchiuhnenetzin. He was an uncle of the Emperor Cuauhtémoc and father of Emperors Moctezuma II and Cuitláhuac.

During his youth, his military prowess gained him the favor influential figures such as Nezahualcoyotl and Tlacaelel I, and thus, upon the death of Moctezuma I in 1469, he was chosen to ascend to the throne, much to the displeasure of his two older brothers, Tizoc and Ahuitzotl.

It is also important that the Great Sun Stone, also known as the Aztec Calendar, was carved under his leadership. An earthquake in Tenochtitlán occurred and destroyed many homes.{{Cite book |url=http://staging.doaks.org/research/publications/doaks-online-publications/palaces-of-the-ancient-new-world/isbn-0-88402-300-1.pdf#page=16 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://staging.doaks.org/research/publications/doaks-online-publications/palaces-of-the-ancient-new-world/isbn-0-88402-300-1.pdf#page=16 |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Palaces of the Ancient New World |last1=Evans |first1=Susan Toby |last2=Pillsbury |first2=Joanne |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |year=1998 |isbn=0-88402-300-1 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=16 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Using as a pretext the insulting behavior of a few Tlatelolcan citizens, Axayacatl invaded his neighbor, killed its ruler, Moquihuix, and replaced him with a military governor. The Tlatelolcans lost any voice they had in forming Aztec policy.

File:Moquihuix_mendoza.jpg.]]

Axayacatl largely dedicated his twelve-year reign to consolidating his militaristic repute: he led successful campaigns against the neighboring {{lang|nci|altepetl}} of Tlatelolco in 1473 (see Battle of Tlatelolco) and the Matlatzinca of the Toluca Valley in 1474, but was finally defeated by the Tarascans of Michoacán in 1476. Despite some subsequent minor triumphs, Axayacatl's defeat at the hands of the Tarascans irreversibly marred his image, as it constituted the only major defeat suffered by the Aztecs up to that moment. In spite of his young age, he fell gravely ill in 1480, passing away a mere year later, in 1481, whereupon he was succeeded by his brother Tizoc.

Axayacatl wrote two poems. The first, Ycuic Axayayatzin (English: "Song of Axayacatl") is a defense against his brothers and critics; the second, Huehue cuicatl (English: "Song of the Ancients") is a lament written after his defeat in Michoacan.{{cite book|title=Trece Poetas del Mundo Azteca|author=Miguel Leon-Portilla|publisher=Universidad Nacinal Autonoma de Mexico|date=1978|location=Mexico City|edition=2nd, 1972|language=Spanish|trans-title=Thirteen Poets of the Aztec World|pages=133–153}}

• The Obsidian and Blood series by Aliette de Bodard are set in the last year of the reign of Axayacatl and the first years of the reign of Tizoc, with their youngest brother Ahuitzotl appearing as a primary character.

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{{Portal|Mexico|Biography}}

• List of Tenochtitlan rulers

• {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Nigel |year=1980 |title=The Aztecs |edition=2nd |location=Norman |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press }}
• {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Nigel |year=1987 |title=The Aztec Empire: The Toltec Resurgence |location=Norman |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press }}
• {{cite book |last=Hassig |first=Ross |year=1988 |title=Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |isbn=0-8061-2121-1 }}
• {{cite book |last=Townsend |first=Richard F. |year=2000 |title=The Aztecs |edition=revised |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location=London |isbn=0-500-28132-7 }}
• {{cite book |last=Weaver |first=Muriel Porter |year=1993 |title=The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica |edition=3rd |publisher=Academic Press |location=San Diego |isbn=0-01-263999-0 }}

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• {{Cite Americana |wstitle=Axayacatl |short=x |noicon=x }}
• {{Cite NIE |wstitle=Axayacatl |year=1905 |short=x |noicon=x }}
• {{Cite Appletons' |wstitle=Axayacatl |year=1900 |notaref=x |short=x |noicon=x }}
• {{Cite AmCyc |wstitle=Axayacatl |short=x |noicon=x }}

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{{s-bef |before=Moctezuma I }}

{{s-ttl |title=Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan |years=3 House – 2 House
(1469–1481) }}

{{s-aft |after=Tizoc }}

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{{Tenochtitlan rulers}}{{Authority control}}

Category:Tenochca tlatoque

Category:Nahuatl-language poets

Category:15th-century monarchs in North America

Category:15th-century Aztec nobility

Category:Year of birth uncertain

Category:1440s births

Category:1481 deaths

Category:Moctezuma family