Tlacaelel
Tlacaelel is the son of Huitzilihuitl and the brother of Chimalpopoca and Moctezuma Ier all three tlatoani (king-priest) of the Aztèques. Although it never became tlatoani itself it plays in the development of the empire a considerable part. It is probably at the origin of alliance between the three cities of Tenochtitlan, Tacuba and Texcoco which makes it possible his/her uncle Itzcoatl to overcome the Tépanèques Azcapotzalco and of émanciper the Aztec ones of this heavy supervision. It then becomes Cihuacoatl ( Conseiller supreme ) of the sovereign and guard this function under the reign of his brother Moctezuma Ier and his successor Axayacatl.
It leaves the wars of conquest to these various sovereigns and is harnessed with a religious and ideological vast reform which upsets the company deeply. It is with him that occurs the warlike mystical vision which makes of the Aztec people the elected people of the Sun. Indeed the Aztec ones fear the disappearance of this one. They admit the existence of several Suns from which some disappeared and are afraid of a similar event. Tlacaelel persuades the wise ones and the priests whom the star will be saved by nourishing it of “invaluable water”, i.e. blood of the human ones. Admittedly the human sacrifices were frequent but they will reach a higher scale. The conquests indeed become necessary for religious reasons since it is necessary “to nourish” the god-sun Huitzilopochtli. Starting from the reign of Moctezuma Ier (1440) thus the true Aztec territorial expansion starts.
Tlacaelel decides to reinforce the Aztec capacity by an ideological reform and makes destroy all old the codex of the people overcome and subjected to replace them by new the more favorable to Aztec and giving the good share to the latter. The Histoire becomes thus an instrument of propaganda and domination. The gods of the overcome people are integrated into the the Aztec Pantheon at the top of which we find Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. Tlacaelel orders the construction of a gigantic temple which will be finished only after its death and will be inaugurated under the reign of Ahuitzotl (1486/1502).
Tlacaelel probably dies towards 1480.
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