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LAST EMPRESS OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE
A thread.
Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin was the daughter of the emperor Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. Although she’s not as famous today as Cortes’ translator Marina/Malinche is, Tecuichpo’s life had far more twists and turns.
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A thread.
Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin was the daughter of the emperor Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. Although she’s not as famous today as Cortes’ translator Marina/Malinche is, Tecuichpo’s life had far more twists and turns.
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There’s conflicting info about when Tecuichpo was born. 19th-cent historian Chavero wrote she was born in 1510, making her nine years old when Cortes arrived in 1519. His assertion went undisputed. Even Wikipedia currently says Tecuichpo was 11 years old when Cortes arrived.
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According to information in the Archivo General de Indias, Tecuichpo was actually in her late teens when the Spanish invaded Mexico. The archive in Seville contains a series of legal documents known collectively as the Información de doña Isabel de Moctezuma. 3/
These documents stem from a 1546 lawsuit about land holdings and valuable objects that were related to Tecuichpo. Dozens of Indigenous witnesses at the elaborate legal proceeding testified that Tecuichpo’s mother was Tecalco, a daughter of the Mexica emperor Ahuitzotl. 4/
Two Indigenous people testified that Tecalco married Motecuhzoma in 1500. One of the oldest witnesses testified that Ahuitzotl “loved much” his granddaughter, Tecuichpo, thus confirming that Ahuitzotl was alive when she was born. 5/
Since Ahuitzotl died in 1502, this means that Tecuichpo was at least 17 years old when the Cortes expedition arrived in Mexico. This is backed up by information in the Crónica Mexicayotl, a chronicle of the Aztec Empire’s history written in the Nahuatl language in 1579. 6/
Tecuichpo went through no less than six marriages—two of which were very short-lived. Her first husband was Atlixcatzin, a commanding general and a member of the Council of Four, an advisory body to Motecuhzoma. Atlixcatzin was even a potential candidate for emperor. 7/
In 1520, Spaniards residing in Tenochtitlan for months, as honored guests, suddenly attacked a group of Mexica who were celebrating the festival of Toxcatl. Atlixcatzin was among those killed. This unprovoked slaughter triggered a Mexica uprising against the Spaniards. 8/
Spaniards looted the treasury, fled Tenochtitlan, and took Moctezuma’s highest-ranking offspring with them. Cortes was covering every angle: heirs of Motecuhzoma might provide legitimacy for future alliances, pawns for politicking, bait for ransom, or hostages for leverage. 9/
Marina/Malinche, and the princess of Tlaxcala who was allied with the Spaniards, were put in charge of the royal prisoners. 300 Tlaxcalans and 30 Spaniards guarded them. During the Spaniards’ frenetic escape from Tenochtitlan, Tecuichpo slipped away and rejoined the Mexica. 10/
Motecuhzoma had been killed. As his daughter, Tecuichpo was immediately married to the successor, Cuitlahuac. He reigned for several months before succumbing to smallpox. That Tecuichpo was seemingly immune to the disease is yet another remarkable aspect of her life. 11/
Tecuichpo was then married to the Aztec Empire’s next ruler, Cuauhtemoc, who was also her uncle. As with his predecessor, the new leader was legitimized by being married to Tecuichpo. He would go on to become a modern national hero for his fierce resistance to the Spaniards. 12/
When Cuauhtemoc eventually surrendered in 1521, Tecuichpo was at his side. Cuauhtemoc’s only request during his surrender was that his family be taken care of. Cortes honored that request. 13/
Cortes allowed Cuauhtemoc’s women and children to take up quarters in Tacuba, giving Tecuichpo the responsibility to supervise them. Spaniards tortured Cuauhtemoc in an unsuccessful attempt to find lost treasure. Cuauhtemoc had no information to give and was hanged in 1525. 14/
In 1526, Tecuichpo became one of only three Indigenous women to be granted an encomienda, a parcel of land that came with slaves to work it. The land grant, which included all of Tacuba, was one of the largest in Mexico. 15/
Cortes used Tecuichpo to symbolize the continuity of rule between the Mexica and the Spaniards. She played her part and was rewarded for it. The other two Indigenous women given land were Isabel’s sister and Cortes’ translator Marina. 16/
Tecuichpo/Isabel died as the wealthiest Indigenous woman in New Spain. She bequeathed her personal and luxury items to her daughters. Her land grant of Tacuba was split between her husband and son, and she willed that all of her slaves be given a sum of money and set free. 17/
Tecuichpo’s life reads like the greatest telenovela plot in Mexican history. 18/
