Andrés de Tapia Motelchiuh
Encyclopedia
Don Andrés de Tapia Motelchiuhtzin Huitznahuatlailótlac was the ruler of Tenochtitlan (1525–1530).
After the death of Don Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin in Nochixtlan in 1525, Hernán Cortés
chose Don Andrés Motelchiuhtzin as the new ruler of Tenochtitlan.
Motelchiuhtzin was not of the upper classes; he was born as a "macehualli" or working commoner, but he had gained renown as a warrior captain. He was captured together with Cuauhtémoc
, and torture
d along with him to reveal the location of the Aztec
s' gold
. Eventually he was freed and he returned to his lands.
Because Tenochtitlan was in ruins, he stayed in Nochixtlan. In the three years of Cortés expeditions, he had been ruling Tenochtitlan as cuauhtlato. He would not be tlatoani
, but he would stayed as cuauhtlato two years more.
During his rule, the Aztec titles and decorations were suppressed by the Spanish rulers.
In 1530, Motelchiuhtzin went with the Spaniards to an expedition to Teocolhuacan, against the Chichimeca
and was wounded by a Chichimeca
arrow while he was bathing. He died in Aztatlan. He left a son called Hernando de Tapia.
After the death of Don Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin in Nochixtlan in 1525, Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
chose Don Andrés Motelchiuhtzin as the new ruler of Tenochtitlan.
Motelchiuhtzin was not of the upper classes; he was born as a "macehualli" or working commoner, but he had gained renown as a warrior captain. He was captured together with Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
, and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d along with him to reveal the location of the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s' gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
. Eventually he was freed and he returned to his lands.
Because Tenochtitlan was in ruins, he stayed in Nochixtlan. In the three years of Cortés expeditions, he had been ruling Tenochtitlan as cuauhtlato. He would not be tlatoani
Tlatoani
Tlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
, but he would stayed as cuauhtlato two years more.
During his rule, the Aztec titles and decorations were suppressed by the Spanish rulers.
In 1530, Motelchiuhtzin went with the Spaniards to an expedition to Teocolhuacan, against the Chichimeca
Chichimeca
Chichimeca was the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to a wide range of semi-nomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico and southwestern United States, and carried the same sense as the European term "barbarian"...
and was wounded by a Chichimeca
Chichimeca
Chichimeca was the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to a wide range of semi-nomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico and southwestern United States, and carried the same sense as the European term "barbarian"...
arrow while he was bathing. He died in Aztatlan. He left a son called Hernando de Tapia.