Axayacatl

Axayacatl
Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
Axayacatl as depicted in the Codex Azcatitlan
Reign	1469 – 1481
Died	1481 (1482)
Predecessor	Moctezuma I
Successor	Tízoc

Axayacatl (pron. {ah-sha-ya-ka'-tl} - the name means "Water-mask" or "Water-face") was a ruler (tlatoani) of the Postclassic Mesoamerican Aztec Empire and city of Tenochtitlán, who reigned from 1469 to 1481.

He is chiefly remembered for subjugating Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlán's sister city, in 1473. Using as a pretext the insulting behavior of a few Tlatelolcan citizens, he invaded his neighbor, killed its ruler, Moquihuix, and replaced him with a military governor. The Tlatelolcans lost any voice they had in forming Aztec policy. It is also important that the Great Sun Stone, also known as the Aztec Calendar, was carved under his leadership.

He was preceded on the throne by Moctezuma I and followed by his brother Tízoc in 1481.

Map showing territorial expansions of the Aztec Empire under each of the Aztec rulers. Expansions during the reign of Axayacatl are indicated in blue.^[1]

Notes

References

• Davies, Nigel (1980). The Aztecs (2nd Edition ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 
• Davies, Nigel (1987). The Aztec Empire: The Toltec Resurgence. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 
• Hassig, Ross (1988). Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2121-1. 
• Townsend, Richard F. (2000). The Aztecs (revised ed. ed.). London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-28132-7. 
• Weaver, Muriel Porter (1993). The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica (3rd ed. ed.). San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-01-263999-0.