Xicotencatl I
| Xicotencatl | |
 Xicotencatl in the Lienzo de Tlaxcala | |
| | |
| Preceded by | Xayacamach |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | c. 11 House (1425) |
| Died | c. 4 Rabbit (1522) |
| Father | Aztahua |
| Children | Xicotencatl II Doña Lucía |
Xicotencatl I or Xicotencatl the Elder (c. 11 House (1425) – c. 4 Rabbit (1522)[1]) was a long-lived tlatoani (ruler) of Tizatlan, a Nahua altepetl within the pre-Columbian confederacy of Tlaxcala, in what is now Mexico.
Etymology
His Nahuatl name, pronounced [ʃiːkoʔˈteːŋkatɬ], is sometimes spelled Xicohtencatl. In 1519 he was baptized as Lorenzo Xicotencatl or Don Lorenzo de Vargas.[2]:311–312
Biography
At the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico he was very old and of poor health. He was instrumental in aligning the Tlaxcala with Cortes' Spaniards.[2]:174–176,307,353
Tlaxcalan historian Diego Muñoz Camargo wrote of him that he was more than 120 years old and that he could only see Cortés if he had someone lift his eyelids for him. He also writes that he had more than 500 wives and concubines and consequently a large number of children, including Xicotencatl II and the wife of Jorge de Alvarado - Doña Lucía.
When his son plotted to seize Tlascala in Chichimecatecle's absence during the Siege of Tenochtitlan, Xicontencatl I told Cortes that "his son was wicked and he would not vouch for him, and begging Cortes to kill him." This Cortes ordered and Xicotencatl II was hanged.[2]:357–358
Poetry
One song or poem attributed to Xicotencatl is known.[3] It is recorded in the Cantares mexicanos (fols. 57v.–58r.), a collection of Nahuatl songs probably compiled in the last third of the 16th century for Bernardino de Sahagún,[4] and concerns the flower wars conducted between Tlaxcala and the states of the Aztec Triple Alliance.
See also
Notes
References
- León-Portilla, Miguel (1992). Fifteen Poets of the Aztec World. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2441-5.
| Preceded by Xayacamach |
Tlatoani of Tizatlan | Succeeded by |