342 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 28 



forming the extreme northwestern extremity of the valley of Cuern- 

 avaca, lies the small town of Tepoxtlan. Although but 3 miles" 

 distant from each of the cities previously named, this place, because 

 it is situated quite away from the great highroads radiating from 

 the capital and at the foot of the mountain, has remained until very 

 recently little known or investigated. The ancient inhabitants, who 

 undoubtedly were of the same race as the Tlalhuics of Cuernavaca, 

 have in the main shared the history of the latter. Cuernavaca, 

 the ancient Quauhnauac, was the first territory which fell into the 

 hands of the Mexicans when they began to spread beyond the limits 

 of the valley. In the reign of the third Mexican king, Itzcouatl, 

 who reigned in the second quarter of the fifteenth century, the siege 

 and subjugation of Cuernavaca is reported, and under Motecuhzoma 

 Ilhuicamina, the king succeeding Itzcouatl, Tepoxtlan i*^ named in 

 the Mendoza codex, together with Quauhnauac, Uaxtepec, and Yau- 



a h c (J f 



Fig. 83. Symbols of pueblos, from Mexican codices. 



tepee, among the conquered cities (see hieroglyphs a to c?, figure 83). 

 The Historia Mexicana of the year 1576 (Aubin-Goupil codex) 

 reports in connection with the accession to the throne in the year 

 1487 of King Ahuitzotl, which was celebrated w^th great sacrifices of 

 captives, that new kings had been installed in Quauhnauac, Tepox- 

 tlan, Uaxtepec, and Xiloxochitepec (see hieroglyphs e and /). 



In the tribute list (Mendoza codex, page 2(3, no. 13) Tepoxtlan, the 

 " place of the ax ", is again put with the same towns in the Uaxtepec 

 group (see i). Cortes came into contact with Tepoxtlan in the year 

 1521 on his march from Yautepec to Cuernavaca, when, because the 

 inhabitants did not voluntarily surrender, he burned the town. 

 Bernal Diaz extols the fine women (muy buenas mugeres) and the 

 booty which the soldiers obtained here. After the establishment of 

 Spanish rule Tepoxtlan, with Cuernavaca, was included in the prin- 

 cipality, which, with the title Marques del Valle de Oaxaca, was 

 aAvarded Cortes as recompense for his distinguished services.'' A 

 manuscript Relacion of the year 1582, which is preserved with 

 others of like character in the Archivo General de las Indias in Se- 



" 14 English miles. Ed. 



>> See the picture manuscript of the Bihlioteca Nazionale in Florence, folio 37. 



