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chicalcan, and Tecpan (near Cuitlahuac), and portions of the redistributed domain were also given to Tlatelolco, Coatl-Ichan, Acolman, Chalco, and Otompan.
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With the elimination of the last major rival to Tepanec domination in the basin, the Aztecs then engaged in a war of their own against Chalco, an occasional ally of the Tepanecs but a traditional Aztec enemy. The lords of the Chalca towns ordered walls built across a pass through their lands, with the result that the Aztecs could not travel through freely.48 This was a breach of relations as well as an economic hindrance, and it appears to have been the precipitating factor in their "reconquest."49 The ongoing flower war between the two city-states again changed its nature: both sides ceased freeing the nobles taken captive during the battles50 and began sacrificing them, raising the cost of the war and spreading it more evenly across the social spectrum. |
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At this time trouble began between Azcapotzalco and Tenochtitlan, perhaps over the Chalca war but more probably because of the changing political situation in the basin. A militarily powerful Tenochtitlan was a desirable ally, but with Tetzcoco subdued, Tenochtitlan looked less like a necessary ally and more like a potential challenger. The traditional account maintains that the conflicts arose over water. Tenochtitlan was located on an island surrounded by brackish water, so the Aztecs asked for, and received, Tetzotzomoc's permission to draw water from the springs of Chapoltepec. But they also asked the Tepanecs to give them wood, stone, and lime to build an aqueduct, which was the sort of demand that a would-be lord might make to a potential subject, and thus it was both an affront to the Tepanecs and a provocation. Azcapotzalco immediately cut off all trade with the Aztecs, ordering that no more foodstuffs or merchandise be sent to Tenochtitlan, on pain of death. Guards were placed on the roads, and all contact between Tenochtitlan and the other cities was to be severed.51 However, a number of non-Tepanec cities continued to sell goods to the Aztecs.52 |
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Whatever the historical basis for this version, other events were probably more significant in bringing about the impending Tepanec war. The Tepanec political system depended largely on the skill and resolve of its leader. But Tetzotzomoc's death in 1427 was followed by a succession struggle among his sons.53 Tetzotzomoc had named Tayauh to succeed him, but another son, Maxtlatl, seized power, murdered his brother, and assumed the throne of Azcapotzalco and |
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