all the years they ruled.
Tlaltecatzin18 started the rulership in Tetz coco. He ruled only eighty days. Nothing happened in his time. They were Chichimec rulers.
And the second who became ruler, who followed Tlaltecatzin, was Techotlalatzin, the Chichimec. And he ruled seventy years. In his time nothing happened.
And the third to become ruler was Ixtlil- xochitl the elder. He ruled sixty-five years.
15. Vanitzin: After the demise in 1536 of (Pablo] Xochiquen, who had been only a noble administrator (calpixcapilli)
in the pre-Hispanic government, Diego Huanitzin, grandson of Axayacatl and nephew of Motecuhzoma II— then rul ing Ehecatepec, north of Mexico City—was appointed native tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, thus restoring the leadership of the former Mexica imperial capital to its legitimate royal dynasty.
16. Ome acatl: This correlates with 1559 in the indigenous year count and clearly dates the preparation of this para graph of the Primeros Memoriales to the period when Sahagun was residing in Tepepolco. Later, probably just after he moved to Tlatelolco, Sahagun collected another, more detailed account of the ruling dynasty of Mexico Tenochtitlan, dated 1560, which he included as Chapter 1 of Book VIII of the Histoiia (Sahagun 1950-1982, Part IX [Book 8[: 1-5,■ 1988, II: 494-497), with somewhat different illustrations of the rulers and their name signs and with reign lengths that often differ from those of the Primeros Memoriales version (see Castillo Farreras 1974: chart, p. 166).
17 Inifizqui: read in izqui or in iz izqui.
18. Tlaltecatzin: His other name, Quinatzin, is the one usually employed for this ruler. No other source gives any thing like such a limited reign for him.
epoalxiuitl yoan macuilxiuitl amo tie ipan mochiuh.
Auh inic naui tlatoani mochiuh tetzcoco yehoatl y Negavalcoyutzin in tlatocat epo alxiuitl yoan matlacxiuitl yoan ce xiuitl auh y yehoatl i y negaoalcoyutzin ypan peuh yn yauyutl ym omextin yn tenochtitlan tlatoani Itzcoatzin ynic q'peuhque tepaneca auh i novian tepeuhque quiehoatl quipeualti y Negaoalcoyutzin yn quitecac in petlatl in ic- pali yn acolhoacan tetzcoco.
Auh inic macuili mochiuh tlatoani ye hoatl in Necaoalpilli auh in
In his time nothing happened.
And the fourth to become ruler in Tetz coco was Nezahualcoyotzin.19 He ruled seventy-one years. And in the time of Neza hualcoyotzin, wars began when the two, [he and] Itzcoatzin of Tenochtitlan, conquered the Tepaneca, and they conquered all places; it was he, Nezahualcoyotzin, who began it, who set down the mat, the seat, in Acolhua- can Tetzcoco.
And the fifth to become ruler was Neza- hualpilli, and
[fol. 52v col. A] tlatocat vmpoalxiuitl vmatlactli yoa exiuitl
in ipan mochiuh in yavyutl, y nouian ic tepeualoya auh y yeoatin ym omextin y ne gaoalcoyutzin yoan Negaoalpili yn iquac tla- tocatq tzacuticatca in tlaxcalla ioan vexo- tzinco auh in Negaoalpilli ipan peuh yn tlein oalmoquequetzaya ylhuicatitech in iuhqui tlanextli in iuhqui tlemiaoatl y ceyoal tla- nextiticaca auh nauhxiuitl yn ipa mochiuh ypan xiuhtonalli chicome tecpatl yn yan- cuican negico auh in poliuh ipan xiuhtonali mactlactloce tecpatli auh inic tlamanca nauhxiuitl miecca xitin tepetl in texcali auh in iquac poliuh in tlein oalmoquequetzaya vc iuh nauhxiuitl agiquiui in espanolesme auh qc mic in Necaoalpili aucmo ixpan.
Auh inic. vi. tlatoani mochiuh tetzcoco yehoatl in Cacamatzin in tlatocat nauhxiuitl
he ruled fifty-three years. In his time wars were made; people were conquered every where. And it was when these two, Nezahual- coyotl and Nezahualpilli, ruled that Tlax- callan and Huexotzinco20 were contained. And in Nezahualpilli's time commenced what kept rising up in the sky, which was like a light,21 like a flame of fire, that shone each night. And it occurred for four years. It was in the year sign Seven Flintstone that it appeared for the first time, and it vanished in the year sign Eleven Flintstone, and thus it lasted four years. In many places the mountains, the crags sundered. And it was four years before the Spaniards arrived that what had kept rising up in the sky vanished. It was then that Neza hualpilli died;22 he was no more.
And the sixth to become ruler in Tetzcoco was Cacamatzin. He ruled four years. In his 19. Neijaualcoyutzin (Nezahualcoyotl): This outstanding ruler, who, in partnership with Itzcoatl of Mexico Tenochtitlan, established the independence and power of Tetzcoco (1431), is the first of the dynasty to be shown seated on the tepotzoicpalli and wearing the royal diadem, the xiuhtzontli. The metaphoric couplet, in petlatl in icpalli was the standard expression for royal authority. His reign length has obviously been confused with the duration of his life (1402-1472).
20. Tzacuticatca in tlaxcalla ioan vexotzinco: The powerful city-states of Tlaxcallan and its almost equally power ful ally, Huexotzinco, east of the Basin of Mexico, were never conquered by the Triple Alliance but were surrounded and besieged until the time of the Conquest. See Davies 1982: 225-232.
21. Tlanextli: This column of light seen in the east, which, according to the statement here, lasted from 1512 to 1516, was considered to have been one of the principal omens of the Conquest. It is described elsewhere in the Histo- ria as well (Sahagun 1950-1982, Part IX [Book 8]: 3 -4 , 17-19; 1975: 1 -3 ; 1988, II: 496, 501, 817-818). It is also mentioned in other primary sources, although it is usually dated somewhat earlier.
22. Mic in Necaoalpili: M ost of the primary sources give 10 Acatl, 1515, as the year of Nezahualpilli's death, but a few agree with the statement here that it was in 11 Tecpatl, 1516. As in the case of his father, Nezahualcoyotl, the reign length given here was confused with his life span, 1464-1515/16.
Paragraph IB
Chapter III: Rulership
190
The seventh to become ruler was Coana- cochtzin.23 He ruled five years. In his time it came to pass that the Mexica were con quered; both he and Cuauhtemoctzin of Tenochtitlan [were rulers].
The eighth to become ruler was Teco- coltzin. He ruled one year in the presence of the Castilian people when the marquis was in Tetzcoco, where he readied himself for war [and whence] he conquered the Mexica.
The ninth to become ruler was Ixtlilxo- chitl. He ruled eight years. And when the Mexica were conquered, he went accompa nying the marquis; he was one of his party, and he accompanied him to Huey Molían.24 In his time it happened that the city was well established. The marquis together with Co- anacochtli put things in order.
[fol. 53r col. A] Inic x. tlatoani mochiuh iehoatl in yu-
yontzin in tlatocat ce xiuitl.
Inic. xi. tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl y te- tlavevetzquititzin yn tlatocat macuilxiuitl.
Inic. xii. tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl in Don anto ° tlavitoltzin in tlatocat chiquacexiuitl.
Inic. xiii. tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl in axcá tlatoani Don hernando pimentel in tlatocati ecastolxiuitl in axcan ipan ticate.
Auh ye ixquich cauitl quipia in tlatocayutl yn acolhoaque y ye ic mocempoa castol- poalxiuitl yoan napoalxiuitl yoan nauhxiuitl yn ixquichica axcá ipan ticate xiuhtonalli vmacatl.
23. Coanacotzin: Coanaeochtzin was a son of Nezahualpilli. He succeeded his half-brother, Cacama, to the throne of Tetzcoco after the latter's death in 1520 while a Spanish prisoner. He was executed in 1525 together with Cuauhte moc in Campeche by Cortés during the latter's expedition to Honduras.
24. Vei molan: Huey Molían referred to the north coast of Honduras, the goal of Cortés's expedition of 1524-1526, when he was accompanied by a large retinue of native leaders. It included Ixtlilxochitl, another son of Nezahualpilli, who was appointed native ruler of Tetzcoco after the death of his half-brother Coanacochtzin. On the other colonial native Tetzcocan rulers featured in the Primeios Memoriales list, including their dates and familial relationships, see Gibson 1964: 170-171.
25. Ome acatl: see note 16, this paragraph. Sahagún included a virtually verbatim version of this Primeros Memo riales account of the Tetzcoco dynasty in the Historia (Sahagún 1950-1982, Part IX [Book 8]: 9-11; 1988, II: 499-510], with copies of the Primeros Memoriales illustrations. However, all of the rulers are shown seated on the tepotzoicpalli
and wearing the xiuhtzontli, differing from the Primeros Memoriales version, in which the first three rulers wear the
cozoyahualolli and are seated on the tolicpalli.
The tenth to become ruler was Yoyontzin. He ruled one year.
The eleventh to become ruler was Tetla- huehuetzquititzin. He ruled five years.
The twelfth to become ruler was don An tonio Tlahuitoltzin. He ruled six years.
The thirteenth to become ruler is the pres ent ruler, don Hernando Pimentel. He has been ruling eighteen years in our time.
And all the time that the Acolhuaque held the rulership was three hundred and eighty- four years until the present time in which we live, the year sign Two Reed.25
Inic. vii. tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl in Coa nacotzin in tlatocat macuilxiuitl yehoatl ipan mochiuh inic peoaloque mexica neoan- tin quauhtemoctzin tenochtitlan.
Inic viij tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl in tTe- cocoltzin in tlatocat ce xiuitl ye imixpan in castillan tlaca ye iquac in tetzcuco catca marques vncan moyauhchichiuh in i quin- peuh mexica.
Inic. ix. tlatoani mochiuh yehoatl iN ix- tlilxuchitzin in tlatocat chicuexiuitl auh in iquac peoaloque mexica quivicatiuia in marques ytlan omoquetz ivan quivicaya in vei molan yehoantin ymixpa mochiuh ynic vel motlatlali altepetl inic tlavelalali mar ques neoan coanacuchtli.