 | This articlemay beconfusing or unclear to readers. Please helpclarify the article. There might be a discussion about this onthe talk page.(May 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Cuāuhtlahtoāni orCuäuhtlahtoh is a titular office of governorship and political administration, used within certain city-states and provinces among theAztecs ofpre-Columbian central Mexico in theLate Postclassic period. The office ofcuauhtlatoani (aNahuatl word meaning approximately, "the one who speaks like eagle") carried the connotation of "military ruler" or "appointed administrator". During the rise of theAztec Empire the title was given by the rulingMexica-Tenochca to the governors they imposed on conquered city-states in central provinces.[1]
ATlatoani ("the one who speaks") was an independent ruler of an Aztec/Mexica polity (altepetl). Cuauhtlatoani were appointed by a Tlatoani to rule conquered areas or areas whose independence was lost such as the cityTlatelolco following the 1473 CE defeat of its last Tlatoani,Moquihuix, by Tenochtitlan. Tlatelolco was governed by Cuauhtlatoque until the death ofItzquauhtzin in 1520 CE.
The title is also used in some histories compiled in the early post-conquest era, when referring to the (semi-legendary) leaders of the Mexica (the later Aztecs) during their migrations from the north into theValley of Mexico, before their founding ofTenochtitlan and the subsequent expansion into empire. The early 17th-centuryNahua historianChimalpahin wrote of a succession ofcuauhtlatoani office holders during this pre-foundational period:[2]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) | This article related toindigenousMesoamerican culture is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |