Everything about Xaltocan totally explained
Xaltocan was a
pre-Columbian city-state and island in the
Valley of Mexico, located in the center of
Lake Xaltocan, part of an interconnected shallow lake system which included
Lake Texcoco. The site was originally settled by the
Otomi people, but following a war in the in the late
14th century where the Otomi were defeated by an alliance of
Tepanecs and
Mexica the Otomi were driven off the island and relocated to Otumba, Metztitlan and
Tlaxcala. The island of Xaltocan was then resettled by
Nahuatl speakers.
Overview
Xaltocan is known to have been inhabited in the
Postclassic period. Ceramics and other archaeological remains dating to this period have been recovered in excavations at the site. It is thought to have been a local center of power capable of exacting tribute from other city-states in the area.
The founding of Xaltocan is described in the mytho-historical documents, the
Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca and
Anales de Cuauhtitlan. According to the
Anales the Xaltocameca (people of Xaltocan) were among the
Chichimec tribes that left the mythical place of origin,
Aztlán, under a leader named
Quauhtliztac ("White Eagle"). The
Historia also identifies the Xaltocameca as belong to the Otomi ethnic group. In this document, written by
Ixtlilxochitl, the first leader of the Xaltocameca is named as
Iztacquauhtli, which also means "White Eagle" in
Nahuatl.
In the 13th century Xaltocan were involved in a prolonged war with the
Nahua city-state of
Cuauhtitlan. Xaltocan was initially the strongest but around 1395 the ruler of Cuauhtitlan, Xaltemoctzin, allied himself with
Tezozomoc of
Azcapotzalco and his subjects the
Mexica of
Tenochtitlan and finally managed to conquer Xaltocan. The Otomi inhabitants fled north to the Otomian city-state of Metztitlan and to
Tlaxcala, while others were allowed to resettle on the lands of
Texcoco in the place now called Otumba.
During the next 100 years the site was resettled by Nahua peoples. After the
Aztec Triple Alliance defeated the Tepanecs of Azcapotzalco, Xaltocan became an Aztec subject city and paid tribute to Tenochtitlan, mainly in the form of woven blankets. In
1521 during the
Spanish conquest of Mexico the army of
Hernán Cortés razed Xaltocan and burned it to the ground.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Xaltocan'.
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