188 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 



order of the succeeding war chiefs is the same in several 

 records, but the dates are found to vary slightly. 



Acamapichtli 1376-1396 



Huitzilihuitl 1396-1417 



Chimalpopoca 1417-1427 



Itzcouatl 1427-1440 



Moctezuma I 1440-1469 



Axayacatl 1469-1482 



Tizoc 1482-1486 



Ahuitzotl 1486-1502 



Moctezuma II 1502-1520 



Cuitlahua 1520 



Cuauhtemoc 1520-1521 



After throwing off the yoke of their early overlords, 

 the Tepanecas, by the subjection of Atzcapotzalco at the 

 beginning of the brilliant reign of Itzcouatl, the Aztecs 

 of Tenochtitlan entered into a three-cornered league 

 with Tezcoco and Tlacopan (Tacuba). This was an 

 offensive and defensive alliance with an equal division 

 of the spoils of war. Soon the united power of these 

 three cities dominated the Valley of Mexico and began 

 to be felt across the mountains on every side. Tenoch- 

 titlan gradually assumed the commanding position in 

 the league, and although Tezcoco continued to be an im- 

 portant center the third member was apparently much 

 reduced. The great votive stone of Tizoc records some 

 of the earlier conquests of the Aztecs. At the arrival of 

 Cortez only a few important cities such as Tlaxcala 

 retained their independence. But the crest of power 

 had then been passed and it seems pretty certain that 

 the remarkable city in the lake would in time have 

 suffered the fate of other self-constituted capitals both 

 in the Old World and the New. 



Social Organization. Spanish historians often 

 liken Tenochtitlan to the seat of an empire and speak of 

 the ruler as one who had the power of an absolute mon- 



