Eight Deer Jaguar Claw
Encyclopedia
Eight Deer Jaguar Claw was a powerful Mixtec
ruler in 11th century Oaxaca
referred to in the 15th century deerskin manuscript
Codex Zouche-Nuttall
, and other Mixtec manuscripts. His surname is alternatively translated Tiger-Claw and Ocelot-Claw. John Pohl has dated his life as having lasted from 1063 until his death by sacrifice in 1115. Consonant with standard Aztec practice, the "Eight Deer" component of his name refers to his day of birth within the 260-day Aztec cycle, which cycles through 13 numbers and 20 variegated signs (e.g., animals, plants, natural phenomena).
His reputation as a great ruler has given him a legendary status among the Mixtecs and some aspects of his life story as it is told in the pictographic codices seem to merge with myth. Furthermore, actual knowledge of his life is hindered by the lack of complete understanding of the Mixtec codices, and although the study of the codices has advanced much over the past 20 years, it is still difficult to achieve a definitive interpretation of their narrative. The narrative as it is currently understood is a tragic story of a man who achieves greatness but falls victim to his own hunger for power. The following biography of 8 Deer is based on the way it is interpreted by specialist in Mixtec archaeology and ethnohistory, John Pohl.
Born on the Mixtec Calendar date from which he got his name, 8 Deer was the son of the high priest of Tilantongo
5 Crocodile “Sun of Rain”. His mother was Lady 9 Eagle “Cocoa-Flower”, queen of Tecamachalco. He also had a brother 12 Earthquake “Bloody Jaguar” and 9 Flower “Copalball with Arrow” who were both faithful war companions of 8 Deer.
He also had a half-sister 6 Lizard “Jade-Fan”. First the fiancee and lover of 8 Deer himself, she was finally married to 8 Deer's archenemy 11 Wind “Bloody Jaguar”, the king of the city "Xipe
's Bundle", also known as Red and White Bundle
. The lords of Xipe's Bundle had rights to the throne of Tilantongo and were therefore the most important rivals to 8 Deer's power.
Lord 8 Deer is remembered for his military expansion. Codex Zouche-Nuttall counts 94 conquered cities during his reign. He was the only Mixtec king ever to unite kingdoms of the three Mixtec areas: Tilantongo
in the Mixteca Alta area with Teozacualco of the Mixteca Baja area and Tututepec
of the coastal Mixteca area. Almost always pictured wearing a jaguar
helmet, he supported the powerful Toltec
ruler of Cholula
, Lord 4 Jaguar “Face of the Night” in his attempts at expansionism, and was thus awarded a turquoise
nose ornament, a symbol of Toltec royal authority.
The Codices also tell of his several marriages which seem to have been part of a political strategy to achieve dominance by marrying into different Mixtec royal lineages. He married 13 Serpent, daughter of his own stepsister and former fiancee 6 Lizard.
In 1101 8 Deer finally conquered Xipe's Bundle, killed his wife's father and his stepsister's husband 11 Wind and tortured and killed his brothers-in-law, except the youngest one by the name of 4 Wind. In 1115 4 Wind lead an alliance between different Mixtec kingdoms against 8 Deer who was taken prisoner and sacrificed by 4 wind, his own nephew and brother-in-law.
Mixtec
The Mixtec are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla in a region known as La Mixteca. The Mixtecan languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean language family....
ruler in 11th century Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
referred to in the 15th century deerskin manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
Codex Zouche-Nuttall
Codex Zouche-Nuttall
The Codex Zouche-Nuttall is an accordion-folded pre-Columbian piece of Mixtec writing, now in the British Museum . It is one of three codices that record the genealogies, alliances and conquests of several 11th and 12th-century rulers of a small Mixtec city-state in highland Oaxaca, the Tilantongo...
, and other Mixtec manuscripts. His surname is alternatively translated Tiger-Claw and Ocelot-Claw. John Pohl has dated his life as having lasted from 1063 until his death by sacrifice in 1115. Consonant with standard Aztec practice, the "Eight Deer" component of his name refers to his day of birth within the 260-day Aztec cycle, which cycles through 13 numbers and 20 variegated signs (e.g., animals, plants, natural phenomena).
His reputation as a great ruler has given him a legendary status among the Mixtecs and some aspects of his life story as it is told in the pictographic codices seem to merge with myth. Furthermore, actual knowledge of his life is hindered by the lack of complete understanding of the Mixtec codices, and although the study of the codices has advanced much over the past 20 years, it is still difficult to achieve a definitive interpretation of their narrative. The narrative as it is currently understood is a tragic story of a man who achieves greatness but falls victim to his own hunger for power. The following biography of 8 Deer is based on the way it is interpreted by specialist in Mixtec archaeology and ethnohistory, John Pohl.
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the State of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long...
5 Crocodile “Sun of Rain”. His mother was Lady 9 Eagle “Cocoa-Flower”, queen of Tecamachalco. He also had a brother 12 Earthquake “Bloody Jaguar” and 9 Flower “Copalball with Arrow” who were both faithful war companions of 8 Deer.
He also had a half-sister 6 Lizard “Jade-Fan”. First the fiancee and lover of 8 Deer himself, she was finally married to 8 Deer's archenemy 11 Wind “Bloody Jaguar”, the king of the city "Xipe
Xipe Totec
In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths and the seasons. Xipe Totec was also known by the alternative names Tlatlauhca, Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca and Youalahuan...
's Bundle", also known as Red and White Bundle
Red and White Bundle
"Red and White Bundle" is the nickname given to a location that is mentioned in several of the Mesoamerican codices which provide historico-mythical accounts of events and genealogies of the pre-Columbian Mixtec civilization, which was centered around the Oaxacan region of central-southern Mexico....
. The lords of Xipe's Bundle had rights to the throne of Tilantongo and were therefore the most important rivals to 8 Deer's power.
Lord 8 Deer is remembered for his military expansion. Codex Zouche-Nuttall counts 94 conquered cities during his reign. He was the only Mixtec king ever to unite kingdoms of the three Mixtec areas: Tilantongo
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the State of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long...
in the Mixteca Alta area with Teozacualco of the Mixteca Baja area and Tututepec
Tututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period...
of the coastal Mixteca area. Almost always pictured wearing a jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
helmet, he supported the powerful Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
ruler of Cholula
Cholula (Mesoamerican site)
Cholula , was an important city of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BCE, with settlement as a village going back at least some thousand years earlier. The great site of Cholula stands just west of the modern city of Puebla. Its immense pyramid exceeds the Pyramid...
, Lord 4 Jaguar “Face of the Night” in his attempts at expansionism, and was thus awarded a turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...
nose ornament, a symbol of Toltec royal authority.
The Codices also tell of his several marriages which seem to have been part of a political strategy to achieve dominance by marrying into different Mixtec royal lineages. He married 13 Serpent, daughter of his own stepsister and former fiancee 6 Lizard.
In 1101 8 Deer finally conquered Xipe's Bundle, killed his wife's father and his stepsister's husband 11 Wind and tortured and killed his brothers-in-law, except the youngest one by the name of 4 Wind. In 1115 4 Wind lead an alliance between different Mixtec kingdoms against 8 Deer who was taken prisoner and sacrificed by 4 wind, his own nephew and brother-in-law.