Nezahualcoyotl: Texcoco’s Warrior Poet, Philosopher and King

before we start this episode was made possible by my patrons who voted and selected this topic everybody say thank you now if you'd like to support the show and occasionally vote on special topics you can do so on patreon thank you for your support be sure to stick around at the end of the episode for some announcements few people in the pre-colonial history of mexico are as well known and celebrated as nezua coyote he was a ruler who remained near and dear in the memory of his people long after his death so much so that his legacy survived the spanish conquest and even thrived but even to call nezua coyote by his proper title tslatawani doesn't begin to do this man justice he wasn't just a revered platowanian ruler of the city of teshkoko but a warrior a charismatic leader an artist an architect and a philosopher who remade teshkoko as a city of splendor today we're going to explore this towering figure of mexican history grab a drink and a snack it's gonna be a long one [Music] it's impossible to talk about nezua coyote's life and accomplishments without talking about the contemporary politics of the valley of mexico in 1400 ce the valley was under the firm rule of the tepenec empire and its wily ruler tezo somak the tepenex were somewhat late comers to the valley of mexico descending from chichi mecca that had migrated from the north into the valley and settled on the western side of the lake around the 13th century now they were not the only chichi mecca group migrating south the ecola also migrated into the valley around this time and settled on the eastern side for those that are curious these migrations predated the migrations of the mashika better known as the aztecs into the valley the aztecs were the tribe that founded tenochtitlan and later controlled the aztec empire after their migrations the tepenex and the ecowa would coalesce into formal states with their respective capitals at the great cities of atsukoputsalko and teshkoko in the late 1300s tesso somoc would begin a lifelong undertaking of trying to unite the valley under his control tessasomoc was a ruler that one could compare to william the conqueror and a diplomat that one could compare to bismarck he could be devastating in battle but he was not above using other means of bringing allies and former rivals under his control in these early years of conquest the city of tashkoko had actually assisted with outscope salko's early conquests along with some recent newcomers the mashika ruling over teshkoko was ish to show cheat the first the father of our man nezua coyote each to show cheat like his rival was a fierce warrior and a proud leader who had been instrumental in the rise of the tepinex at the time the tepenak rise had profited teshkoko by eliminating rivals and allowing ishtasho qi to consolidate his own power it was during this riveting time that nezua coyote was born in the year one tushli or 1402 by our calendar on the day one deer this day name would have been the name used throughout his youth being the son of the queen matalasi watsin the daughter of huiziluwit the second tilatawani of tenochtitlan he was the heir apparent of teshkoko nezuwa koyot or rather the boy that would become nezuwa coyote would have spent his early years attending the local kalmakok dedicated to quetzalcoat where he would have learned all aspects of religion and history this seminary-like environment was a necessity for anyone looking for a career in the service of the state however those studious years would be cut short by politics in the year 13 toshly 1412 ishta show cheated the first full of confidence crowned himself amidst lavish ceremony the chichi mekat the lord of the chichi mecca much to tesla somok's wrath as a descendant of the great tilatawani of the chichi mecca sholot ishta shochit did have a claim to this title but so did tesso somoc and he was none too pleased about this development tesla sommock presented each to show cheat one last chance to swear fealty and his refusal to bend the knee finally ignited the long brewing conflict between these rivals in the initial war ishta show cheat was initially successful in pushing back tesso somak's attack besieging atskopatsalko and forcing him to sign a peace agreement now tesla somak was no quitter and he wasn't about to let a temporary setback foil his plans for valley-wide domination so he turned to diplomacy and intrigued to begin undermining teshkoko's support from its vassals and allies tessa somoc had spent his life building connections through marriage and family to various tushkokan allies and supporting pro-tepenek factions within the city itself and now he brought these connections to bear once assured that ishtashi's support would be absent in the coming conflict he renewed the offensive against teshkoko to open this tessasomoc requested a meeting with ish to show cheat in which he would assassinate him leaving teshkoko leaderless however word of this plot was leaked and the attempt was foiled when ishtashow chief's own brother oscar tlotsin volunteered as a double and went off in each to show cheat's place to meet tesosomok to buy the king time for preparations it's a good thing that ishta show cheat did not go himself because his brother was brutally murdered and flayed unfortunately the tepinec preparations were too well laid and teshkoka defenses collapsed so desperate was ishta so cheat that he sent nezuwakuyo's half brother siwa ke kenotzin to plead with the city of otompin otompen had been punished by teshkoko years prior for its loyalty to tesosomak and this was an enormous gamble one that failed upon his arrival the atompin leadership affirmed their allegiance to the tepenex before casting him to the angry mob that was present siwa kkk not scene was torn to pieces by the crowd his fingernails later worn as a necklace by the atompen governor yikes with all their options exhausted and the city about to fall is to show cheat and sixteen-year-old one deer fled into the wilderness pursued not just by the armies of atskopotsalco but tenochtitlan and the spears of their own treacherous soldiers tesla somoc had set his men hot on the trail of the lord of teshkoko in its heir with their enemies closing in ishta shochi made his greatest sacrifice he decided to give himself up instructing his son hide under this tree remembering that if you die with you ends the ancient line of the chichi meccan kings go later to your relatives at chlashkala and huizhou and ask for help from them remember that you are a chichi mecca recovering your empire as his father instructed he hid under a nearby fallen tree only to watch his father face his pursuers die in the ensuing skirmish and be stripped of his regalia this event must have been heartbreaking and traumatic for the boy to witness the war had claimed one of his brothers his uncle and finally it had claimed his father while he had powerlessly watched the next day soldiers loyal to ishtasho cheat arrived and gathered the body and prepared it for an honored burial at this moment as his father's body burned upon the pyre one deer revealed himself and advised the men still loyal to him that they should return to teshkoko and submit to tesosomok until the time came to throw off tepenek rule as for himself he would remain in hiding he was all too aware that tezosomok would not suffer the heir of teshkoko to remain alive in fact teso somoc would have anyone professing public loyalty to the young prince executed for treason and so the young prince one deer fled into the woods away from the grasp of his foes where he became known as nezua coyote the hungry coyote and boy was he hungry to retake his empire these were rough times for the young prince he eulogized this period later in his life with the poem in cholitskyli kuikat the song of exile my gratitude to young garcia for this reading check out his channel in the description below if you're interested in his nawa content but back to our story in these years of exile nezua coyote bided his time he must have been aware that he presently had very little besides his royal claim with which to oppose the tepenex following his father's advice he made his way to tlashkala where he could find refuge with his relatives beyond the grasp of tesosomak nezuwa coyote used this time to travel in disguise through his kingdom sizing up the mood of his people and the nature of the new order this was dangerous tesla somoc still hadn't given up the hunt for the young prince even if he was the hungry coyote nezua coyote wasn't alone and he made use of his connections especially those of his kin remember his mother matalesi watsin was the daughter of the tatawani of tenochtitlan which meant that he had relatives there after three years in tashkala his relatives in titus titlan made a plea to the aging tezo somak to allow him to live in tenochtitlan under their watch they pointed out that nezua coyote was just a boy and had never taken up arms against the tepenecca since his exile and was not a threat to anyone outside of his home tessasomoc was getting old and he was starting to mellow out and he actually agreed to this so long as nezua coyote never left tenochtitlan or tilataloko having a potential teshkoka air could possibly come in handy someday this allowed nezua coyote to come out of hiding and to live publicly once again in his two years at tinoshtitlan he became very close to his uncle chimel popoka the tatawani of tenoshtitlan and assisted him in various building projects across the city the mashika had been enemies of teshkoko in the previous war but those bonds of kinship proved much stronger than old hostilities these years were to prove instrumental in his upbringing as we'll see later but nezua coyote was not to remain a ward in the care of his mashika relatives forever again his aunts beseeched tesso somoc to allow him to return home to teshkoko explaining that he had never disobeyed the conditions of his residence and should be allowed to return to his ancestral home by this point tessa somok was nearing the end of his life his wars were fought his conquests complete and tribute was flowing into outkapotsalco and his mind was focused on his succession so he agreed to this as long as nezua coyote never left teshkoko along with tenoshtitlan or telataloko now i do want to clarify that this didn't mean he would rule over the city he wasn't being invested with any political power he would just be an ordinary citizen regardless it still meant that teshkoko's prodigal son could finally return home and by all accounts the city was happy to have him back not only was he a respected individual but he was the rightful heir and that meant that he would always represent an alternative to the chafe of tepanek rule and tribute even if he didn't have an army today the possibility of him leading an army tomorrow must have lingered in their minds nesawa coyote's later biographers paint these days in teshkoko as very carefree where he repaired his father's residence played the ball game enjoyed the company of beautiful women and spend time with his mashika relatives all was well until the heart of tessasomoc changed with death drawing closer tezosomok began to second guess his decision to allow nezua coyote to return home and began to plot his assassination especially at the urging of his son mashla thankfully for our man sympathizers were able to alert nezua coyote of these attempts and he was cleverly able to dodge them one after another much to tessosomak's frustration by now the tepanek emperor was at the moment of death before he died he made his sons swear that they would fulfill his final wish to kill nezua coyote with tezosomak gone all the lords of the valley nezua coyote included were invited to his exquisite funeral tezasomak's eventual heir mashtala planned to have him assassinated at the funeral but nezua coyote's years of flight had taught him to gracefully elude harm and he escaped the city before the trap could be sprung now tessa somak's succession would not be a peaceful one mashallah was originally relegated to the city of koyouwa khan with his brother tayatsin governing in atskoputsalco when tessasomoc died mashla made a bid to seize atsukopasalco which forced everyone in the valley to pick sides mashallah prevailed and murdered his brother after which he turned his attention to unfinished business and as you may have guessed one of those items was nezuwa coyote's demise assassins were sent traps made but nezua coyote continued to evade them by this time he was very well connected with other okolwa in mushless circle and he also had an uncanny ability to sense a trap finally mashallah had had enough of this toying around and sent his generals to test coco to bring nezuwatcoyo to him at which point nezua coyote prepared a feast for his honored guests sat everyone down and snuck out the back of the palace and back into the mountains back at square one but not really because unlike his first exile in the wilderness nezua coyote didn't just focus on staying alive he began to plan the campaign to challenge the tapenex once and for all for one thing he wasn't alone but with a small group of followers who looked to him to throw off the tepenek yoke they set out for the city of hoishotsenko from here nezuwa coyote sent out his messengers to tlashkala and chalco but things took a fortuitous turn when ambassadors from tenochtitlan appeared at hueshotsenko asking nezua coyote for an alliance of tenochtitlan and teshkoko against outscope salco and mashla unbeknownst to nezua coyote on the other side of the lake important developments were afoot the old partnership between the mashika and the tepeneka was finally beginning to fray the mashika had long been a vital ally of the tepanex and a cornerstone of their power but they had amassed more and more power over the past few decades and they were beginning to look more like rivals than allies to the tepineca and to make matters worse they had backed tayatsin against mashla after mashla's coup chimapopoca had offered himself to mashla as a plea for mercy on his city now the mashika were a very proud and martial people and chimo papoka's actions were seen as craven by the mishika who would eventually execute their own tlatawani and replace him with a very courageous and capable uncle itzkowat now the way was paved for an alliance with teshkoko with everything coming together the ikowa the tlashik attacks and the chalkas set out against mashla nezuwa coyote planned an offensive directly to atsuko posalco but first they needed to retake teshkoko one can imagine matchless shock when nezua coyote's forces stormed teshkoko and finally liberated it from tepenek rule the entrance into the city was marked by the joyous rapture of his subjects the smell of flowers and of incense and the satisfaction of finally fulfilling his father's final charge with teshkoko finally free nezua coyo could march towards atsukopasalco before they could set out nezuwa koyo discovered some discontent in his army his men had been grumbling about their plain simple cotton armor compared to the finery sported by the brilliant eagle and jaguar warriors of their allies nezuwa coyote encouraged them external decorations do not increase the valor of those who support them but that of the enemy whose greed drives him to victory to obtain the spoil in this battle you will win the adornments you seek look at the splendor of your enemies that now only weighs them down in battle when the war is over their splendor shall be yours once he had had his say his men were both proud of their efficient outfits and hungry for the reward of battle his charisma had diffused a potentially toxic situation by this point mashla was currently besieging tenochtitlan so the mashika had their hands full the arrival of akola forces via canoe across the lake coupled with a renewed offensive by its kawat pushed mashla and his forces back to altskopatsalko and itzkowat and nezuwakuyo dug in and prepared a siege of the city as the siege wore on and starvation began to set in mashla became increasingly desperate and sent out messengers to implore his allies to lift the siege and this actually paid off because a relief force came out to meet the men of the ocolwa mashallah now had his chance to crush the forces of nezua coyote between these two armies now most leaders might have reasonably given up the siege and retreated to a better position to do battle but not our man no nezua coyote and his allies buckled down and faced the enemy on both sides the siege would continue it must against all odds the men of teshkoko and huishotsenko put the relief army to flight and even managed to wound mashla in the battle as their last hope went up in smoke the city capitulated outscope salko had finally fallen as the allies pillaged and looted their way through the streets nezuwa coyote sought out mashlah in his palace when he finally found him he had mashala brought out to the sacrificial stone in the center of the city and personally cut him open and raised his heart to the heavens giving his blood back to the earth and the gods it must have been a supreme moment of triumph for nezua coyote his father revenged his enemies defeated and the wealth of outscoped salco for the taking nozowa coyote's performance was remarkable he had fled his city with a small following and had amassed an army and coalition to bring down the greatest empire in mesoamerica now it was time to plan the new order even in triumph nezua coyote knew the limits of teshkoko's power he couldn't dominate the valley as tezosomak had done in order to achieve security for his kingdom it was in his interest to share hegemony with the new up-and-coming power in the valley the mashika back in tenochtitlan itsukawa and nezuwakuyo worked out a new alliance between tenochtitlan and teshkoko in which they would dominate the valley together however tradition dictated that alliances were made of three parties not two and nezua coyote urged its kawa to include the city of talakopan talakopan was actually a tepanex city and although it hadn't fought against mashla it had remained neutral and nozowa coyote knew that giving the tepenex a place in the alliance would impart some dignity on their dishonored former foes and help ensure a peace going forward nezuwa koyo would even take this farther and pardon several teppanek figures in teshkoko against its kawat's protests with this arrangement tenochtitlan and teshkoko would each receive two-fifths of all tribute and tlock upon the remaining one-fifth the triple alliance as it became known would last all the way until spanish contact unfortunately all this time spent in tenochtitlan securing teshkoko's political position was beginning to grate on his subjects back home who began to grow restless in his absence this left a power vacuum in teshkoko and it actually culminated in an open rebellion led by a half-brother of nezua coyotes tilmatsin the only thing worse than politics is politics with your family fortunately that uprising would peter out when it's kawaten nezuwa coyote returned to teshkoko in 1431 to crown him akoa takutli the chichi mekat it's worth pointing out that the mashika had every reason to help nesawa coyote secure his throne he was a close and loyal ally and an important keystone in the triple alliance other tushkoka hopefuls may not have been so receptive to mashika dominance remember teshkoko and tenochtitlan were former enemies regardless nezuwa coyote returned and was back on his throne and now he could finally focus on ruling his kingdom and rebuilding teshkoko this is really where nezuwa coyote the twatawani and the lawgiver comes into focus now when nezo akoyo left hinoshtitlan for teshkoko he brought several priests and government officials because one of the first items of business was the institution of a new code of laws now there's modern speculation about the novelty of this law code later chroniclers attribute this code to the enlightened mind of nezua coyote himself but this is slightly problematic because the laws recorded in these accounts have many similarities with the laws in tenochtitlan as attractive as the image of nezuwa coyote as a visionary lawgiver is it's likely an oversimplification the fact is is that nezuwa koyo would have already been very familiar with mashika law from his long residence in the city and it's very likely that he imported it into teshkoko to replace the tepanek laws even if these laws were borrowed nezua coyote earned a reputation as a strict legalist the law might be harsh but nezua coyote always executed it impartially and without mitigating circumstances he was keen to punish corruption and keep the judicial system ever efficient his own family wasn't even spared this vigilance and he executed two of his own sons for adultery and sodomy on one of these occasions he's said to have said let my son die on those of noble blood a heavier responsibility rests than on a villager it is the law that a man died for adultery let my son die yes and the woman too according to the law such actions instilled a pride and confidence in the justice of the state but nezua coyote was just a hard ass he was also deeply sympathetic to his subjects and his biography is full of examples of his concern for the common people in one episode after hearing about a man being punished for stealing maize to feed his starving family he ordered that maize beans and squash be planted along all the roads so that anyone in need could take food without stealing in another famous episode while walking through his kingdom in disguise he met a weeping child gathering wood outside of his own private forest reserve and upon hearing the child grumble that the law prohibited anyone from entering the forest to gather wood he returned to the palace called the boy's family showered them with wood maize coca and fine cotton mantles and announced that the forest was now open to all common people so long as they did not cut any living wood so that the forest would be preserved stories like this show why nezua coyote was a revered ruler even long after his death and long after spanish conquest but nezua coyote was also remembered as an artist and philosopher indeed he still is to this day i think it's safe to assume that his long exile had aroused a creative energy and now that he wasn't dodging constant assassination attempts he could finally indulge it but nezua coyote's dynamism wasn't simply the result of his own energy he attracted other artists in the valley and patronized them at teshkoko this brought metalsmiths feather workers book painters jewelers wooden stone carvers and other poets and singers to the city he encouraged their creativity by hosting festivals in which artists could be rewarded for their work he even exempted them from taxation stating that their tribute was a tribute of beauty these artisans not only enrich nesawa coyote's building projects and court but turn teshkoko into a flourishing center of arts and philosophy perhaps the most famous works are the many poems that are attributed to him now we can't go through dezawa coyote's entire catalog of poems and songs that's an entire episode in itself but i do want to showcase a good typical nezuwa coyote poem and one that i enjoy is shoching wheat the flower tree just some context here this poem or flower song as it would have been called was composed for the feast of flowers a festival that was celebrated just before autumn's arrival shiawilon [Music] is is yeah oh yeah beautiful and thanks again to jan garcia for that lovely reading nuzuwa coyote's creative pursuits were not just limited to poetry he expended enormous energy in building projects inside and outside teshkoko during the wars with the tepenex much of teshkoko had been ruined and this provided ample opportunity for nezua coyote to showcase his talent most famous was the palace in teshkoko which reputedly had 300 rooms opulent gardens with fountains trees flowers and animals from all over mesoamerica his country retreat at tetsco cinco which still survives in part to this day had bathing pools fed by aqueducts surrounded by immense gardens full of exotic flowers even outside teshkoko nezuwa koyo was instrumental in the construction of the chapultepec aqueduct which carried fresh water to tenochtitlan as well as the embankments and dikes that held back the water from flooding the city he even played an important role in the design and construction of the temple to huizli lapochli in tenochtitlan one of nezua coyote's most enigmatic building projects was the temple to tlloke nawakke this isn't a god that you'll normally find mentioned in the aztec pantheon so who is he there are many translations of this deity's name he by whom we live the creator of life life giver the close and the near and many others nezuwa coyote appears to have become a devotee of this unknown and unknowable god the creator of all many of nezua coyote's poems and songs like the two that we heard earlier address this deity and it's impossible to paint a picture of nezua coyote without his devotion to the creator of life on his greatest date of tetsukosenko he built a temple with no altar no idol and no sacrifices here he would reverently pray and fast for his city and family rather than human blood flowers poetry and art were offered to tloke nawake we are informed by sources that this was not without criticism at the time many in teshkoko saw this as a sign of weakness on nezua coyote's part a fear of blood or a faintness of heart after all the gods needed blood to survive and to keep the universe in motion what was all this about now when i first read a biography of nezua coyote these views struck me as strange because they are so starkly different from mesoamerican religion and spirituality and other scholars have noticed this too history has had its fair share of religious mavericks to be sure akhenaten comes to mind and perhaps that's what nezua coyote was however it's important to keep in mind that the best sources we have for nezua coyote were written by his own descendants fernando de alva cortez ishtasho cheat and juan bautista pomar they were writing after the spanish conquest and primarily for a spanish audience it's very likely that these aspects of nezua coyote were exaggerated or embellished to make him appear as a figure that foreshadowed the christianization of new spain by questioning the notions of human sacrifice and idolatry of mesoamerican religion his poetic flair and reputation as a warrior and builder also drew comparisons to the biblical figure of david such writers would try to use these themes to make him appear like a biblical precursor like an old testament prophet however we need to note that nezua coyote never banned the practice of human sacrifice it still continued in teshkoko up until the conquest in fact there was no shortage of captive warriors for the sacrificial altars because nezua coyote's fighting days were not behind him yet the triple alliance needed to bring the valley under control to assure security nezua coyote certainly appreciated this having seen teshkoko broken by tezo somak not only did he bring the neighboring city-states under control of teshkoko but he assisted the mashika in their wars as well these conquests also had the benefit of providing teshkoka with sources of tribute in 1440 its kawat died and was succeeded by his nephew motekasoma the first a person that nezua coyote had personally known from his stay in tenochtitlan and the war against the tepineca just as at the birth of the triple alliance nezuwa coyote was all too aware of the careful balancing act that he had to play teshkoko could not emerge as a rival to tenochtitlan just as tenochtitlan had done to outscope salko he had to remain a beneficial ally even if that meant playing second fiddle wisely he took all the necessary steps to reaffirm the alliance between tenochtitlan and teshkoko with the alliance alive and well they could turn their attention to new conquests the last independent city of the valley was chalco and that was unacceptable to molte kasoma and for the next several years he and nezua coyote fought to bring the city under control further conquests and wars would be made against the tota knacks the wastaks the mish techs but as time wore on nezua coyote would personally take part in fewer and fewer of these campaigns instead sending his sons on his behalf so that he could focus on matters of government and he had many sons to send like other rulers of his day he kept a considerable harem of women and did not neglect them the written accounts tell us that he fathered 60 sons and 57 daughters dang let's take a closer look at nezua coyote's personal life during those later years perhaps the most important job for any ruler is to produce a successor as i just mentioned nesawa coyote was not lacking infertility and eagerness but those children had come from the women of his harem he had never taken an official wife and as a twatawani this had to be addressed he had requested help from his brother kwatele watsin to select a suitable bride from among the noble daughters of teshkoko kuatelewatsin selected the daughter of a local lord but she was still too young for marriage and so she was discreetly taken into kwatullewatsin's house to be groomed for her future role as was custom those plans would be dashed however when cuatillo watson died a few years later in the aftermath his own son unwittingly married the young woman when nezua coyote discovered this he was enraged but his nephew appears to have been genuinely ignorant of her destined role remember her fate had been hushed until the time that she would be ready for marriage that ignorance did not stop nezua coyote from bringing him before the judges to answer for his transgression but surprisingly they ruled in favor of his nephew due to his ignorance of the arrangement indeed this says a lot about how successfully nesawa coyote had engineered the judicial system in teshkoko that it didn't benefit him in this humiliating moment as his rage simmered he soon set eyes on the young wife of one of his governors kwakwatsin her name was atkal shochitsin and she was the daughter of temiktzin of tenoshtitlan nezua coyote was set on making her as queen and to make this happen he ordered her husband to war and arranged the battle so that he would certainly die in the first battle not cool dude by the way anyone who's paid attention in sunday school will recognize elements of this story from the biblical story of david and bathsheba so this might be a later addition to the story once he was out of the way nezuwa coyote was free to woo the young widow and eventually make her his queen it must have been a happy time but the marriage would have its challenges that's how shochitseen would soon give birth to his son tetsau putzintli the prodigy and a prodigy he was by all accounts he became a gifted artist and poet but also very skilled in the art of fighting a true scion of his father watching his son grope would be one of the few high points of the following years because they would be very difficult indeed in 1446 a swarm of locusts devoured the harvests all over the valley of mexico and triggered an almost decade-long famine that would be exacerbated by droughts and freak snowstorms that kept the fields from producing nozzles did what he could by opening food stores to the struggling people but the lean years eventually exhausted them new aqueducts were built to water the fields but these could only do so much the entire valley was so starved that wars and campaigns ground to a halt grumbling against nesawa coyote's distaste for sacrifice began to grow louder the earth needed blood to fertilize the land and to bring life and in desperation the pace of sacrifice picked up as the famine dragged on people began to sell themselves and their children into slavery after nine years of famine the reigns finally came and the famine abated nezuwa coyote had weathered one of the worst crises the region would see until the conquest during that time the fields were not the only things struggling to produce life atskal shochitsin and nezuwakuyo were unable to produce any more children after the birth of tetso potsintli she had been barren this left nezua coyote's succession in a precarious position because recall that nezua coyote's other sons by his hair were distinguishing themselves in the field some of them quite brilliantly in one memorable episode from the chalka war which resumed after the famine his 16 year old son ashok kensin snuck into the chalka camp slew the king's guards and carried the old king back to camp i should note that the king of chalko was very old at this time and he wasn't really capable of resisting regardless his actions stunned everyone all the more so because before that they had mocked him for his youth and lack of battlefield experience this deeply impressed nesawa coyote even if he had his mind set on tetsuo pilcindli to succeed him his other son still made him proud this sibling competition was also exacerbated by the ambitions of their mothers in the harem who were want to lobby for their son's futures anyone familiar with their ottoman history can probably see where this is going things came to a tragic head when tetsau pilt sinfully made a casual boast of his impressive weapons collection to one of his half-brothers somehow the mother of this brother got wind of this and twisted his words from an innocent boast to a treasonous statement of defiance and reported it to the twattawani when nezua coyote ordered tetsuo piltsintali's quarters searched she bribed the inspectors to trump up the evidence and they reported that the king's son was amassing more weapons than any one man could use and that he was planning to equip an army this was devastating to nezua coyote his heir now stood accused of treason the penalty for which was death this put him in an impossible position he could not be seen circumventing his own laws to save his son in a last-ditch effort he asked the talatawani of tlacopan and tenochtitlan to come to teshkoko to act as neutral judges unfortunately the trumped-up evidence appears to have swayed them and they performed the execution themselves by strangulation as they were legally empowered to do so nezuwa coyote is said to have lamented better that i had been the judge myself why did i not sit on the throne of judgment i thought they would be merciful in sorrow nesawa coyote retreated to tetskosenko to bitterly weep in his beautiful gardens slowly he emerged from this tragedy to conduct the affairs of state and war that he had always seemed to the wars of expansion continued and building projects in teshkoko and tenochtitlan commanded his attention during this time his sons matured and grew in fame and stature at this point he was getting old and it looked like one of them would inherit his throne a prospect that while not ideal was not without precedent it's kawat had been the son of a concubine and his peers and subjects had had little trouble overlooking that but in an incredible turn of events otsuko sho chitsin became pregnant and bore him a new son in 1464 nessa walpili the hungry prince like his father he would also be remembered as a talented poet and a fair ruler in 1469 monte casoma the first died and nezua coyote himself now far advanced in years crowned the next tlatawani of tenochtitlan asha yakat this would be the last great achievement in his life he would sadly never live to see the hungry prince grow into a man because age finally took him three years later in 1472 at the age of 70. in his final days he gathered his sons around him to make the final arrangements he spoke to them of tloke nowake and encouraged them to continue his legacy and to only sacrifice expediently he charged one of his sons the wise akapi-piyoltzine to mentor and guide nezuwapili in his early years he chose very well because nezuapili would rule in his own name almost until the spanish arrival and it's impressive that his rule was not usurped amidst the ambitions of his brothers and their equally ambitious mothers when nezua coyote died he was the last of the original founders of the triple alliance and that empire stretched from the valley of mexico all the way to the gulf coast and was still growing naziwa coyote's legacy is huge but not as straightforward as we'd like to think as i mentioned earlier his biographers likely took certain liberties to lionize their ancestor and beloved ruler now this is pretty standard for any great figure in history especially ancient history nesawa coyote is hardly unique in this regard and the fact that he was the subject of such aggrandizement says a lot about his reputation already that said his legal reforms were likely not very novel but based on older teshkoka and contemporary mashika laws his philosophical and spiritual outlook as i mentioned earlier were likely altered to make him seem very appealing to a christian audience and there's a convenient reason for this we need to keep in mind that teshkoco was still a great city when the spanish arrived and like all other cities in the valley of mexico it wanted to distance itself from the mashika after the conquest it was thus very convenient for nezua coyote's biographers to portray him as an enlightened ruler who ruled over an enlightened populace in contrast to the bloodthirsty warlords that ruled over tenochtitlan this allowed them to cultivate a quote-unquote civilized image of teshkoko to contrast with the brutal image of tenochtitlan now i'm not bringing this up to say that everything our sources tell us is a fabrication or that we should be completely cynical to such accounts like any other historical accounts these are still valuable and compelling in their own right they show us that nezua coyote clearly occupied a revered spot in their minds and left an enduring legacy that has persisted to this day in mexico you can spot his name on streets and metro stations and city quarters he's even immortalized on the 100 peso bill which according to the dollar peso conversion rate at the time of writing this makes him slightly more valuable than abe lincoln and five times more valuable than george washington not bad at all he's a rare figure that would have been celebrated no matter where or when he lived had he been born into comparable royalty at the same time in medieval italy instead of mesoamerica i'm willing to bet that he would have been remembered as a great renaissance man that legacy deserves and demands our respect and i'm very happy that we've done so thank you for sticking through this long episode with me i'd like to thank atlan historian for aiding me with this script in case you don't know who he is he has a fantastic channel on indigenous history that i highly recommend please check out his stuff before i sign off i have one quick announcement this will be the last regular episode of 2021 like last year i'll be taking the holidays off and this was an exhausting episode to produce so i need a break to recharge regular production will resume in 2022. thank you for all your understanding and a big thanks to all my subscribers 2021 exceeded all my expectations it's been a blessing to watch the channel grow so fast finally a special thanks to my patrons listed here you guys are the best if you'd like to join the ranks these fine individuals and support the show you can do so on patreon the link will be in the description below don't forget to like and subscribe and follow us on facebook take care and we'll see you in 2022 [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Ancient Americas

Views: 56,409

Keywords: Nezahualcoyotl, Texcoco, ancient, america, americas, aztec, mesoamerica

Id: VfkX3rvc5VE

Length: 47min 3sec (2823 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 07 2021