Nezahualpilli

Nezahualpilli (Nahuatl for "fasting prince"; 1464–1515, modern Nahuatl pronunciation ) was ruler (tlatoani) of the Mesoamerican city-state of Texcoco, elected by the city's nobility after the death of his father, Nezahualcoyotl, in 1472. Nezahuapilli's mother was Azcalxochitzin, who married Nezahualcoyotl after the death of her first husband, King Cuahcuauhtzin of Tepechpan.[1]

Nezahualpilli
Tlatoani of Texcoco
A non-contemporary depiction of Nezahualpilli from the Codex Ixtlilxochitl.
Reign1473–1515
PredecessorNezahualcoyotl
SuccessorCacama
Born1464
Died1515
IssueCacama
Many other children
FatherNezahualcoyotl
MotherAzcalxochitzin

Like his father, he was a poet, was considered a sage, and had the reputation of being a fair ruler. Only one of his poems survives: "Icuic Nezahualpilli yc tlamato huexotzinco" ("Song of Nezahualpilli during the war with Huexotzinco"). His court was a haven for astronomers, engineers, and soothsayers. During his reign, he abolished capital punishment for a number of crimes and struggled to keep the political independence of Texcoco during the increasing centralization of Aztec power in Tenochtitlán.[2]

When he told Moctezuma II that the Texcocan wise men had foretold foreign dominion over the Valley of Mexico, the emperor challenged him to a ball game. Moctezuma considered the loss of the game a negative omen.[3][4]:15

He married Chalchiuhnenetzin, a daughter of Ahuitzotl only to later have her executed. Her purported sexual improprieties and high social status qualified her for a punishment that would not have been applicable to someone of a lower status. He was said to have taken numerous consorts and fathered 144 children.

Nezahualpilli was succeeded by his son Cacama.

Notes
  1. Lori Boornazian Diel (2009). The Tira de Tepechpan: Negotiating Place Under Aztec and Spanish Rule. Austin: University of Texas Press.
  2. Miguel León-Portilla (1967). Trece poetas del mundo azteca [Thirteen poets of the Aztec world] (in Spanish) (2nd 1978 ed.). Mexico City: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México. pp. 77=87.
  3. Fehrenbach (1973), p.103
  4. León-Portilla, M. 1992, 'The Broken Spears: The Aztec Accounts of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0807055014

References
Preceded by
Nezahualcoyotl		 Tlatoque of Texcoco
1473–1515		 Succeeded by
Cacama
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