22 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 13 



During this same era of peace in Totonacapan, 

 when the Tlaxcalans were developing a profitable 

 trade in that province, Texcoco also came into the 

 picture. If Tlaxcala shared a common Teochichi- 

 mec tradition with Totonacapan, Texcoco could 

 claim a joint Chichimec bond. The ruling family 

 at Texcoco was Chichimec — lineal descendants of 

 Xolotl, the Chichimec ruler, who conquered and 

 settled the Totonac zone about Zacatlan. 



By the time that Mexican designs were directed 

 toward Totonacapan, Texcoco already held several 

 key towns on its fringes. Since the days of the 

 first Chichimec rulers, Tulancingo was considered 

 their property ; it is mentioned frequently, chiefly 

 because it revolted with monotonous regularity 

 (Torquemada 1:66; Ixtlilxochitl 1:287, 2:196, 

 199). Likewise, Texcoco apparently counted 

 among her possessions Huauchinango (Ixtlilxo- 

 chitl 1:136, 2:196), "Jicotepec" (now Villa 

 Juarez) (Ixtlilxochitl 2:177, 196), Pahuatlan, 

 Tlacuilotepec, and Papal o (Torquemada 1 : 167) — 

 all of which contained elements of Totonac speech 

 during the sixteenth century. 



Moreover, when Netzahualcoyotl, the Chichi- 

 mec ruler of Texcoco (1431-72) subdued Tulan- 

 cingo, Huauchinango, "Jicotepec," and "all the 

 sierra of Totonapan [Totonacapan] ," it was said 

 that this terrain was part of his patrimony (Ixtlil- 

 xochitl 2:196), presumably implying Chichimec 

 heritage. The same claim was made with respect 

 to the alleged conquest 45 by Netzahualcoyotl of 

 Tuxpan and "Tzicoac," two important pueblos in 

 the Huasteca. 



In any event, it is clear that Texcoco held the 

 three key towns of Tulancingo, Huauchinango, 

 and "Jicotepec." During the sixteenth century, 

 the two latter were in part Totonac ; all three lay 

 on the main route to northern Totonacapan, 

 and through them there was easy access to the 

 southern Huasteca. Moreover, Texcoco con- 

 trolled a scattering of towns on the northwest 

 borders of Totonacapan and evidently continued 



40 Alleged conquest, because It appears that this campaign was 

 of the Triple Alliance, not of Texcoco personally. Perhaps "Tzi- 

 coac" and Tuxpan, where Netzahualcoyotl placed his tribute col- 

 lectors (Ixtililxochitl 2:196-197), represented his share of the 

 joint booty. In any case, an impartial source (CCdice Chimalpo- 

 poca, p. 64) states that during the reign of Netzhualcoyotl and 

 that of his successor, Pantlan was part of the Texcocan realm ; 

 and Pantlan is an old alternate name for Panuco-Huasteca 

 (Sahagftn 3: 130). 



the old Chichimec grasp of the highland Totonac 

 country about Zacatlan (Ixtlilxochitl 2: 196). 



The stage now was set for the Mexican con- 

 quests. Under early leaders, the Mexicans 

 participated in combats on the fringe of Totona- 

 capan — presumably not independently, but as 

 vassals of Azcapotzalco. However, under Itzcoatl 

 (1427-40), the Mexicans gained their independ- 

 ence, and the famous Triple Alliance was formed, 

 with Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tacuba as collab- 

 orators. Mexican expansion started, but not until 

 the elder Moctezuma succeeded Itzcoatl are there 

 records of campaigns which affected Totonacapan 

 directly. Below is a brief summary of such Mexi- 

 can conquests, and a much more detailed account 

 appears in Appendix B. 



MOCTEZUMA I (1440-69) 



The first great era of Mexican expansion toward 

 the Gulf took place during the reign of the elder 

 Moctezuma, whose aggressions in that zone com- 

 prised three major campaigns — one in the Huas- 

 teca, and two in the area of Cotaxtla — the former 

 on the northern and the latter on the southern 

 frontier of Totonacapan. 



With his campaign in the Huasteca, Moctezuma 

 established a wedge of Mexican influence just 

 north of Totonacapan; but his conquests were 

 far from enduring, and his successors had to resort 

 to frequent junkets to quell rebellions. Despite 

 proximity to northern Totonacapan, there is no 

 indication that the latter was directly affected. 46 

 In fact, it is quite clear that Papantla, for example, 

 was able to maintain independence until half a 

 century later, when it was subjugated by the 

 younger Moctezuma (p. 23). 



Southern Totonacapan did not fare as well, and 

 as a byproduct of Moctezuma's first campaign 

 against Cotaxtla, its important centers — "Cem- 

 poala," "Ozeloapan," and "Quiahuixtlan" — came 

 under Mexican rule. Cotaxtla revolted recur- 

 rently thereafter, both during the reign of Mocte- 

 zuma and subsequently, but there is only passing 

 mention of Totonac participation (Tezozomoc, 



40 In addition, four pueblos whose identification is problematical, 

 may have lain on the peripheries of northern Totonacapan (ftn. 

 36, p. 268). None of these appears to have been Totonac, and 

 we find no evidence to suggest that northern Totonacapan as 

 a whole came under Mexican hegemony at this time, as Barlow 

 (1947 a, map 4) appears to contend. 



