THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



279 



Of other Totonac settlements — Almolonga, 

 Misantla, Hueytlalpan, "Matlatlan," Chila, and 

 Jojupango — we know that they were tributaries of 

 Moctezuma (Paso y Troncoso 5:119; relaciones 

 geograficas of Misantla, Hueytlalpan, "Matla- 

 tlan" y Chila, and Jojupango ) . Since they do not 

 appear among previous conquests, we infer that 

 they were subjugated in the days of Moctezuma 

 II ; accordingly, they have been included in map 

 18 (Nos. 126, 129, 130-133). 



A few pueblos in this same general area — To- 

 tonac and Mexicano alike — apparently pre- 

 served their independence. Zacatlan, in the 

 Sierra de Puebla, proudly declared that it was 

 free, but that from time to time it voluntarily be- 

 stowed gifts on Moctezuma (Relation de Zaca- 

 tlan). 60 Tuzamapan and Ayotoxco, Totonac 

 towns near Jonotla, apparently escaped the Mexi- 

 can yoke entirely (Paso y Troncoso 5 : 133, 137) ; 

 and Tetela and Totutla, both Mexicano settlements 

 in the Sierra de Puebla, made no mention of a con- 

 quest by the Mexica (Paso y Troncoso 5 : 147, 168) . 



Despite the fact that the Mexican sources pay 

 scant attention to campaigns in Totonacapan, it 

 is evident from the above that a good many con- 

 quests were made in this area at this time; in 

 fact, as far as we can determine, it was during the 

 reign of the second Moctezuma that most of north- 

 ern Totonacapan was subjugated. In part, the 

 penetration was peaceful ; for example, Tlacolulan, 

 near Jalapa, stated that when tribute was re- 

 quested the demand was met, apparently without 

 bloodshed (Paso y Troncoso 5 : 108). 



But other Totonac towns did not fare as easily. 

 Papantla described a long and exhausting strug- 

 gle. It, as well as Hueytlalpan, Jojupango, "Ma- 

 tlatlan" and Chila, had Mexican governors im- 

 posed — a clear indication of military conquest. 61 

 In addition, Moctezuma maintained garrisons 



60 See the succeeding footnote, which suggests that Zacatlan 

 may not have been entirely free of Mexican control, in view of 

 its gifts to Moctezuma. Torquemada (1 : 280) states that 

 Zacatlan was subject to Mexico. 



01 "M6xico tenia en su tiempo en el hacer guerra esta 6rden : 

 que yendo a la guerra, al que se daba de paz no tenia sobre 61 

 tributo cierto, sino que tantas veces en el auo le llevaban presente 

 «i su discrecion del que lo llevaba ; pero si era poco mosabales 

 (stc) mal rostro, y si mucho agradecfaselo. Y en estos no ponia 

 mayordomo ni recaudador ni cosa : el sefior se era sefior. Los 

 que tomaba de guerra decian tequitin tlacotle, que quiere decir, 

 tributan como esclavos. En estos ponia mayordomos y recoge- 

 dores y recaudadores ; y aunque los sefiores mandaban su gente, 

 eran debajo de la mano destos de Mexico . . ." (Tapia 2 : 592). 



"and many arms" in at least two pueblos of Toto- 

 nacapan: Acatlan, north of Jalapa, and Nautla, 

 on the coast (Paso y Troncoso 5:113, Diaz del 

 Castillo 1 : 343). There are other indications, too, 

 of conquest by violence. The little Totonac town 

 of Chiltoyac, near Jalapa, attributed its depleted 

 population to "war with Montesoma" and to epi- 

 demics (Paso y Troncoso 5 : 119). 



SUMMARY 



We have reviewed the conquests of the Mexicans, 

 ruler by ruler, and have seen that the most impor- 

 tant pueblos of southern Totonacapan were sub- 

 jugated by the elder Moctezuma (1440-69) , in the 

 course of his Cotaxtla campaigns. 



It is quite possible that even this early northern 

 Totonacapan was beginning to feel a certain 

 amount of pressure, owing to Mexican conquests 

 along the borders. Through them, a wedge of 

 Mexican influence was inserted between Totonaca- 

 pan and the Huasteca (map 14, Nos. 48, 78, 79) ; 

 and it is possible that several dubiously identified 

 Mexican victories (map 14, Nos. 28-30; ftn. 36, 

 p. 268) separated Totonacapan from her tradi- 

 tional Tlaxcalan allies. 



Even so, northern Totonacapan apparently re- 

 mained substantially inviolate until the days of 

 Ahuizotl (1486-1502). In the first year of his 

 rule, Nautla was conquered (by Netzahualpilli, of 

 Texcoco, according to Texcocan sources) ; and at 

 some unspecified time, a campaign was directed 

 against "Tuzapan," in northern Totonacapan. 

 Considerably later, during the reign of the 

 younger Moctezuma (1502-20), most of the re- 

 maining area of northern Totonacapan came un- 

 der Mexican rule. Mexican sources pay little at- 

 tention to these conquests, 62 but others attribute a 

 sizable series of campaigns in this area to Mocte- 

 zuma II. By 1519, when the Spaniards appeared 

 on the scene, virtually all of Totonacapan — both 

 northern and southern — was, at least nominally, 

 under Mexican control. 



e2 Partly for this reason, our conclusions are somewhat at 

 variance with the interpretations of both Krickeberg (pp. 106- 

 109) and Barlow (1947 a, map 4). For example, the latter shows 

 a large block of territory, including the entire Papantla zone, 

 as subjected by Ahuizotl. As far as we can tell, the only Totonac 

 conquests he might possibly claim are "Tuzapan" and Nautla, 

 the latter considerably to the south, on the coast. Moreover, 

 although we conclude that the balance of northern Totonacapan 

 succumbed during the reign of Moctezuma II, Barlow's map gives 

 no indication of military action in this area during his rule. 





