Cuauhtémoc: Encyclopedia - Cuauhtémoc

Cuauhtémoc

Cuauhtémoc (c. 1502 - February 26, 1525) (also Cuauhtemotzin or Guatimozin; also written Cuauhtemoc without the diacritical mark) was the last Aztec ruler (Tlatoani) of Tenochtitlán and the last "Aztec Emperor". The name means "descending eagle", from Nahuatl cuauhtli (eagle) and temoc (descent); by extension it can be interpreted as "setting sun".

Cuauhtémoc took power in 1520 as successor of Cuaitláhuac and was a nephew of the emperor Moctezuma II, and his young wife was one of Moctezuma's daughters. He ascended to the throne as his city was being besieged by the Spanish and devastated by an epidemic of smallpox. He was about 18 years of age at the time. Probably after the killings in the main temple, there were few Aztec captains available.

On August 13, 1521, Cuauhtémoc went to call for reinforcements from the countryside to aid the falling Tenochtitlán, after eighty days straight of urban warfare against the Spanish. Of all the Nahuas, only Tlatelolcas remained loyal, and the surviving Tenochcas looked for refuge in Tlatelolco where even women took part in the battle. Cuauhtémoc was captured while crossing Lake Texcoco in disguise. He surrendered to Hernán Cortés, and offered him his knife and asked to be killed.

Cuauhtémoc was tortured by having his feet put to a fire, along with Tetlepanquetzal, the Tlatoani of Tacuba, but even so they refused to divulge information about the treasures the Spanish coveted. Cortés took him on his trip to Honduras, perhaps because he feared Cuauhtémoc could lead an insurrection. Some Indian chronicles record that Cuauhtémoc had tried to warn other towns of the intentions of the conquerers along the way to Honduras, but he was denounced because they were also afraid of the Aztecs. Bernal Díaz del Castillo described a more elaborate version of a conspiracy. Cortés eventually ordered Cuauhtémoc hanged on 26 February 1525.

The modern-day Mexican town of Ixcateopan in Guerrero state is home to an ossuary purportedly containing Cuauhtémoc's remains.

Many places in Mexico are named in honour of Cuauhtémoc. These include Ciudad Cuauhtémoc in Chihuahua and the Cuauhtémoc borough of the Mexican Federal District. There is also a Cuauhtémoc station on the Mexico City metro. Cuauhtémoc is also a popular given name for Mexican boys, one of the few non-Spanish given names to be so.

Cuauhtémoc is also the name of a training ship belonging to the Mexican Navy.

Cervecería Cuauhtémoc is a major Mexican brewery.

Categories: Aztec history | 1502 births | 1525 deaths | Executed royalty members | Mexican emperors

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cuauhtémoc", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki