The glyph of Ahuitzotl, from a temple at Tepoztlan.

Perhaps the greatest known military leader of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Ahuitzotl began his reign by suppressing a Huastec rebellion, and then swiftly more than doubled the size of lands under Aztec dominance. He conquered the Mixtec, Zapotec, and other peoples from Mexico's Pacific coast down to the western part of Guatemala. Ahuitzotl also supervised a major rebuilding of Tenochtitlan on a grander scale including the expansion of the Great Pyramid or Templo Mayor in the year 8 Reed (1487). According to some sources, he ordered over 20,000 people to be sacrificed in the dedication of the Great Pyramid.

Ahuitzotl died in the year 10 Rabbit (1502) and was succeeded by his nephew, Moctezuma II.

Ahuitzotl took his name from the animal Ahuitzotl, but it appears the Aztecs thought of it as a creature in its own right, and not merely a mythical beast representing the king.

Map

Map showing the expansion of the Aztec empire showing the areas conquered by the Aztec rulers. The conquests of Ahuitzotl is marked by the colour yellow. ^[1]

Tomb

On 3 August 2007, Mexican archaeologists announced discovery of what is believed to be the tomb of Ahuitzotl beneath a sculpture of Tlaltecuhtli near the Zócalo in Mexico City.^[2][3]

Notes

References

• Townsend, Richard F. (2000) The Aztecs. revised ed. Thames and Hudson, New York.
• Hassig, Ross (1988) Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.

cs:Ahuitzotl da:Ahuitzotl de:Auítzotl es:Ahuízotl (gobernante) fr:Ahuitzotl hu:Ahuízotl it:Ahuitzotl nl:Ahuitzotl no:Ahuizotl pl:Ahuitzotl ru:???????? sv:Auítzotl