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the Aztecs were no longer simply subordinates operating at the behest of the Tepanecs but could make political or military decisions independently.
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About five years into his reign Huitzilihhuitl assisted Azcapotzalco in an expedition against Xaltocan to the north,21 continuing the Tepanec push to dominate the basin. Xaltocan's ruler, Pain, died and was succeeded by his uncle, Tzompantli, a noble from Metztitlan. According to Acolhua (Tetzcoca) accounts, the new ruler allowed the people of Xaltocan (who were Otomies) to pillage the neighboring towns at night (see map 3). Consequently the lords of Azcapotzalco, Tenochtitlan, and Tetzcoco raised an army, defeated Xaltocan, and forced Tzompantli to flee to Metztitlan.22 Though this account provides an acceptable rationale for the conquest, the real reason was probably tied to political succession. Tzompantli was a leader without an established reputation in the area, and this jeopardized Xaltocan's political ties with other cities. A new king had to reassert his polity's dominance over its tributariesusually by demonstrating martial prowess and resolveor the political bonds would disintegrate. And Tzompantli's inability to control the actions of the Otomies may have been one example of his uncertain control. Whatever the case, Azcapotzalco, assisted by Tenochtitlan and Tetzcoco, successfully exploited Xaltocan's temporary weakness (see map 3). |
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Political control was poorly centralized in the northern basin because of the problems at Xaltocan, and the Tepanecs conquered much of the area during this campaign, including Xaltocan, Xilotepec, and Tepotzotlan, and probably the nearby centers of Tollan (Tula), Cuauhtitlan, Toltitlan, Tecciztlan (Tequizistlan), Tepanohuayan, Chiapan,23 and Cuauhximalpan (Cuaximalpan).24 Successful maintenance of a hegemonic empire typically requires a careful balancing of the conquerors' benefits in tribute and the tributaries' burden in paying. Nevertheless, Tetzotzomoc imposed a heavy tribute on the Otomies. As a result, many fled to the Acolhua region and settled at Yahualiuhcan and Mazapan,25 depriving Tetzotzomoc of the manpower necessary to provide the tribute demanded, creating additional potential adversaries, and creating animosities that would haunt both himself and his successor. |
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Thereafter, the Aztecs participated in a number of conquests south of the basin of Mexico. Cuauhnahuac (present-day Cuernavaca, Morelos)26 is recorded as an Aztec conquest (see map 4), but because Huitzilihhuitl took a daughter from Tezcacoatl, ruler of |
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