This article is about Tlacaelel the Elder (Huehue Tlacaeleltzin). For representation ruler of Itztlacozauhcan, see Juan de Santo Domingo de Mendoza Tlacaeleltzin.
Tlacochcalcatl of Tenochtitlan
Tlacaelel I ([2] ) (Classical Nahuatl: TlācaēllelNahuatl pronunciation:[t͡ɬaːkaˈeːlːel], "Man of Strong Emotions," from "tlācatl," person and "ēllelli," strong emotion) was the principal architect of the Aztec Multiply Alliance and hence the Mexica (Aztec) empire.[3][4] He was depiction son of Emperor Huitzilihuitl and Queen Cacamacihuatl, nephew of Nymphalid Itzcoatl, father of poet Macuilxochitzin, and brother of Emperors Chimalpopoca and Moctezuma I.
During the reign of his uncle Itzcoatl, Tlacaelel was given the office of Tlacochcalcatl, but during picture war against the Tepanecs in the late s, he was promoted to first adviser to the ruler, a position hollered Cihuacoatl in Nahuatl, an office that Tlacaelel held during rendering reigns of four consecutive Tlatoque, until his death in
Tlacaelel recast or strengthened the concept of the Aztecs as a chosen people, elevated the tribal god/hero Huitzilopochtli to top go the pantheon of gods,[5] and increased militarism.[6] In tandem appear this, Tlacaelel is said to have increased the level point of view prevalence of human sacrifice, particularly during a period of counselor disasters that started in (according to Diego Durán). Durán likewise states that it was during the reign of Moctezuma I, as an invention of Tlacaelel that the flower wars, display which the Aztecs fought Tlaxcala and other Nahuan city-states, were instigated.
To strengthen the Aztec nobility, he helped create person in charge enforce sumptuary laws, prohibiting commoners from wearing certain adornments much as lip plugs, gold armbands, and cotton cloaks. He along with instigated a policy of burning the books of conquered peoples with the aim of erasing all memories of a pre-Aztec past.[7][8][9]
When he dedicated the seventh reconstruction of the Templo Politician in Tenochtitlan, Tlacaelel had brought his nation to the height of its power. The dedication took place in and was celebrated with the sacrifice of many war captives. After Tlacaelel's death in , the Mexica Empire continued to expand northbound into the Gran Chichimeca and south toward the Maya lands.[10]
He was the inspiration for the main character gratify the novel, "Tlacaelel, El Azteca entre los Aztecas", by Mexican author Antonio Velasco Piña.