The enigmatic and powerful Tlacaelel (1398-1487), wrote annalist
Chimalpahin, was "the beginning and origin" of the Mexica monarchy
in fifteenth-century Mesoamerica. Brother of the first Moteuczoma,
Tlacaelel would become "the most powerful, feared, and esteemed man
of all that the world had seen up to that time." But this outsize
figure of Aztec history has also long been shrouded in mystery. In
Tlacaelel Remembered, the first biography of the Mexica nobleman,
Susan Schroeder searches out the truth about his life and legacy. A
century after Tlacaelel's death, in the wake of the conquistadors,
Spaniards and natives recorded the customs, histories, and language
of the Nahua, or Aztec, people. Three of these chroniclers-fray
Diego DurAn, don Hernando Alvarado Tezozomoc, and especially don
Domingo de San AntOn MuNOn Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin-wrote of
Tlacaelel. But the inaccessibility of Chimalpahin's annals has
meant that for centuries of Aztec history, Tlacaelel has appeared,
if at all, as a myth. Working from Chimalpahin's newly available
writings and exploring connections and variances in other source
materials, Schroeder draws the clearest possible portrait of
Tlacaelel, revealing him as the architect of the Aztec empire's
political power and its military might-a politician on par with
Machiavelli. As the advisor to five Mexica rulers, Tlacaelel shaped
the organization of the Mexica state and broadened the reach of its
empire-feats typically accomplished with the spread of warfare,
human sacrifice, and cannibalism. In the annals, he is considered
the "second king" to the rulers who built the empire, and is given
the title "Cihuacoatl," used for the office of president and judge.
As Schroeder traces Tlacaelel through the annals, she also examines
how his story was transmitted and transformed in later histories.
The resulting work is the most complete and comprehensive account
ever given of this significant figure in Mesoamerican history.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
