Nezahualcoyotl

This article is about the Texcocan philosopher-king. For the modern-day city of Texcoco in the state of México, see Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl. Nezahualcoyotl (pronounced ^* in Nahuatl and often spelled with a tz or accented as in Spanish: Nezahualcóyotl or Netzahualcóyotl) (1402 – 1472) was ruler (tlatoani) of the city-state of Texcoco in pre-Columbian Mexico. Unlike other high-profile Mexican figures from the century preceding the Spanish Conquest, Nezahualcoyotl was not an Aztec. His people were the Acolhuas, who along with the Aztec formed the third migratory wave of northern tribes into the Valley of Mexico. The Acolhuas settled at the eastern side of Lake Texcoco.

Revered as a sage and poet-king, Nezahualcoyotl drew a group of followers called the tlamatini, literally "those who know something". These men were philosophers, artists, musicians and sculptors who pursued their art in the court of Texcoco.

According to his ancestors and biographers, Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl and Juan Bautista de Pomar, who lived a century after Nezahualcoyotl, he was something of a monotheist, honoring his god in a 10-level pyramidal temple. The roof of this shrine was gem-encrusted and no human sacrifices were permitted, only the offering of flowers and incense. Some researchers, however, believe that Ixtlilxochitl and Pomar were attempting to cast Nezahualcoyotl in a light more favorable to the Spanish colonial authorities.

Early life

Nezahualcoyotl was the son of Ixtlilxochitl I and Matlalcihuatzin, the daughter of Huitzilihuitl. Though born heir to a throne, his youth was not marked by princely luxury. His father had set Texcoco against the powerful city of Azcapotzalco and the tribe that ruled it, the Tepanec. In 1418, when the young prince was fifteen, the enemy succeeded in conquering Texcoco. While concealed in the branches of a tree, the youth saw Tepanec soldiers butcher his father.

He fled the grisly scene but was captured and thrown into a dungeon, only to escape. Some sources claim he fled to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, but the Aztecs were a tributary of Azcapotzalco at the time, so the account that the young prince spent his exile in Huexotzingo instead is more likely. He would devote the next ten years of his life to study, and then returned to his homeland and dethroned the Tepaneco usurper.

Achievements

As ruler Nezahualcoyotl cemented his friendship with the Aztecs when he assisted them in their successful rebellion against Azcapotzalco and the Tepanecs which led to the establishment of the Aztec Triple Alliance. As a founding member of the Alliance, he served the Aztec aristocracy as a trusted advisor and, as such, he took part in wars conducted by the Aztec forces, receiving lands and tribute in return.

Nezahualcoyotl is credited with cultivating what came to be known as Texcoco's Golden Age, which brought the rule of law, scholarship and artistry to the city and set high standards that influenced other cultures. Nezahualcoyotl designed a code of law based on the division of power, which created the councils of finance, war, justice and culture, the last actually called the council of music. Under his rule Texcoco flourished as the intellectual centre of the Triple Alliance and it possessed an extensive library that, tragically, did not survive the Spanish conquest. He also established an academy of music and welcomed worthy entrants from all regions of Mesoamerica.

Texcoco became known as "the Athens of the Western World" -- to quote the historian Boturini. Indeed, the remains of hilltop gardens, sculptures and a massive aqueduct system show the impressive engineering skills and aesthetic appreciation of his reign.

Many believe, however, that of all the creative intellects nurtured by this Texcocan "Athens," by far the greatest belonged to the king himself. He is considered one of the great designers and architects of the pre-Hispanic era. He is said to have personally designed the "albarrada de Nezahualcoyotl" ("dike of Nezahualcoyotl") to separate the fresh and brackish waters of Lake Texcoco, a system that was still in use over a century after his death.

Palace, gardens and private canal system

Erected by the hill of Texcotzingo, the royal residence had aqueducts, baths, gardens, stairways and over 300 separate chambers. Nezahualcoyotl ruled from a golden throne adorned with turquoise. From there he wrote his Lamentations, a philosophical study of life.

The palace gardens were a vast botanical collection that included plants from not only the growing Aztec Empire but also the most remote corners of Mesoamerica. Remnants of the gardens still exist to this day and have recently been studied by a team of Discovery Channel scientists, who were able to demonstrate by means of modeling and computer simulation that the layout of the site had been carefully planned to be in alignment with astronomical events, with an emphasis on Venus, and not simply aligned with the cardinal directions as previously assumed.

The water used to irrigate the gardens was obtained from the springs beyond the mountains to the east of Texcoco. The water was channeled through canals carved into the rock. In certain areas, rock staircases were used as waterfalls. After clearing the mountains, the canals continued downhill to a point a short distance from Texcotzingo. There the path to the city was blocked a deep canyon that ran from north to south. Nezahualcoyotl ordered that the gap be filled with tons of rocks and stones, thus creating the first known aqueduct in the New World.

Sacred hill

The whole hill of Texcotzingo was also served by this canal system and converted by his designers into a sacred place for the rain god Tláloc, complete with waterfalls, exotic animals and birds.

On the summit of the mountain he constructed a shrine to the god, laid out in hanging gardens reached by an airy flight of five hundred and twenty marble steps, a significant number, since according to Aztec mythology the gods have the choice to destroy humanity once every 52 years.

The site is rarely visited since one needs to climb a small mountain to reach it. Only on solstice and equinox events do large numbers of people make the ascent to the sacred site, the rest of the time it is left to the shamans and healers that use it for initiations.

Legacy

The date of Nezahualcoyotl's death is recorded as being June 4, 1472, survived by many concubines and an estimated 110 children. He was succeeded by his son Nezahualpilli as tlatoani of Texcoco.

His great-grandson Juan Bautista de Pomar is credited with the compilations of a collection of Nahuatl poems. Romances de los señores de la Nueva España, and with a chronicle of the history of the Aztecs.

The poetry of Nezahualcoyotl

"Is It You?", a short poem by Nezahualcoyotl, can be found in Wikisource.

Nezahualcoyotl's authentic poems include:

In chololiztli (Song of Flight)
Ma zan moquetzacan (My Friends Stand Up!)
Nitlayocoya (I Am Sad)
Xopan cuicatl (Song of Springtime)
Ye nonnocuiltonohua (I Am Wealthy)
Zan yehuan (He Alone)
Xon Ahuiyacan (Be Joyful)

The poem that begins "All the earth is a grave and nothing escapes it" is widely attributed to Nezahualcoyotl. However, the consensus opinion among historians is that he was almost certainly not the author as it contains ideas and language that were totally alien to him.

One of his poems appears in tiny print on the face of the 100 peso note.

Amo el canto de zenzontle

Pájaro de cuatrocientas voces,

Amo el color del jade

Y el enervante perfume de las flores,

Pero más amo a mi hermano: el hombre.

I love the song of the mockingbird,

Bird of four hundred voices,

I love the color of the jadestone

And the enervating perfume of flowers,

But more than all I love my brother: man.

Miscellaneous

Layman's pronunciation of the name Nezahualcoyotl: nets-a-wall-COY-oatl

The name Nezahualcoyotl means "starving coyote" in Nahuatl.

A variant of the Xiphophorus fish is named after Nezahualcoyotl.

References

Leon-Portilla, Miguel; Fifteen Poets of the Aztec World University of Oklahoma Press, October 2000.
Prescott, William; The History of the Conquest of Mexico, Book 1, Chapter 6.
Lee, Jongsoo; "A reinterpretation of Nahuatl poetics: Rejecting the image of Nezahualcoyotl as a peaceful poet" in Colonial Latin American Review, December 2003, Vol. 12 Issue 2, p 233-249.

External links

http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/cultura_y_sociedad/fiestas_y_tradiciones/detalle.cfm?idsec=15&idsub=66&idpag=947
http://www.ku.edu/~hoopes/506/Lectures/Aztecs.html
http://www.economist.com/diversions/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2281561
http://www.nndb.com/people/773/000095488/
Nezahualcóyotl's poetry Nezahualcóyotl (Coyote hambriento) Rey de Texcoco (1402-72)
Poetry of Nezahualcoyotl

1402 births | 1472 deaths | Mexican poets | Mesoamerican people

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