THE AZTECS 185 
elected for an indefinite term of office from the most 
distinguished fighters and could be removed for cause. 
But while the offices of state were elective there was, 
nevertheless, a tendency to choose from certain power- 
ful families and at least the foundation of an aristo- 
cratic policy. A chief was succeeded by his son or 
brother except when these candidates were manifestly 
unfit. In the actual succession of the great war chiefs 
of Tenochtitlan, a peculiar system seems to have been 
followed in that the candidates from the older genera- 
tion were ordinarily exhausted before the next lower 
generation became eligible. Thus Huizilihuitl, Chimal- 
popoca, and Itzcoatl were all sons of Acamapichtlhi, and 
the last and greatest was born of a slave mother. Then 
followed Moctezuma Ilhuicamina I the son of Huitzili- 
huitl. This chief had no male heirs but the children of 
his daughter ruled in order: Axayacatl, Tizoc, and 
Ahuitzotl. Moctezuma II was the son of the first of 
these as was Cuitlahua, while Cuauhtemoc, the last 
Aztec ruler, was the son of Ahuitzotl. This peculiar 
succession was not in vogue in Tezcoco, where son suc- 
ceeded father and the lawful wife was chosen from the 
royalty of Tenochtitlan. In the various annals, the 
genealogies are often indicated and the evidence that 
aristocracies existed is too strong to be overthrown. 
There are even cases of queens who succeeded to the 
chief power after the death of the royal husband. 
It is extremely doubtful whether the Aztecs ever had 
what might be called clans. We have seen that there 
were originally eight closely related tribes constituting 
the Mexicani or Mexican nation. The Aztecs them- 
selves are said to have been divided into seven groups 
that were first reduced to four or five and then increased 
to about twenty. It is not clear that these were 
