Nezahualcoyotl

From Freepedia

This article is about the Texcocan philosopher king. For the modern-day city of Texcoco in the state of México, see Nezahualcóyotl.

Nezahualcoyotl (1402 – 1472) was King (Tlatoani)of Texcoco in modern Mexico.

Background:

Unlike other high-profile figures from the century preceding the Conquest, Nezahualcoyotl was not an Aztec. His people were the Alcohuas, part of the third migratory wave of northern tribes into the Valley of Mexico.

The first invaders were the Toltecs, whose highly advanced civilization was centered in the city of Tula. They flourished between the 7th and 11th centuries A.D. and then mysteriously disappeared.

The Toltecs were succeeded by a people called the Chichimecas, believed to have arrived about a century after the Toltecs' disappearance.

The late 12th century saw another migration to Central Mexico. The newcomers where the Aztecs and Acolhuas. The latter settled at the eastern end of Lake Texcoco and from then on became known as Texcocans.

Revered as a sage and poet-king, Nezahualcoyotl (IPA pronunciation: /netsawaɬ'kojotɬ/; layman's pronunciation: nets-a-wall-COY-oatl) drew a group of followers called the Tlamatine, the "knowers" or "followers of truth."

These men were philosophers, artists, musicians and sculptors who pursued their art in the court of Texcoco.

Nezahualcoyotl was also something of a monotheist, honoring his god in a 10-level pyramidal temple. The roof of this shrine was gem-encrusted and no human sacrifices were permitted, only the offering of flowers and incense. He also established an academy of music and welcomed worthy entrants from all regions of Mesoamerica.

The city-state of Texcoco flourished as the intellectual centre of the Aztec Triple Alliance and it possessed an extensive library that, tragically, did not survive the Spanish conquest. The remains of hilltop gardens, sculptures and the massive aqueduct system at Texcotzingo show the impressive engineering skills and aesthetic appreciation of the Acolhua Nation.

The Texcocans are considered by archeologists and anthropologists to be the cultural heirs of the Toltecs and are probably direct descendants of survivors that once lived in Tula before something wiped out their civilization.

As a member of the Triple Alliance, Nezahualcoyotl had close ties to the Aztec monarchy, served as a trusted advisor and build the flood protection system of the great city of Tenochtitlan (Aztec capital). He also took part in the wars conducted by the combined forces, receiving lands and tribute in return.

He is credited with the rise of Texcoco's Golden Age, which brought scholarship and artistry to the city and set high standards that influenced other cultures.

Given this high cultural level, it is not surprising that Texcoco became known as "the Athens of the Western World" -- to quote the historian Boturini.

Of all the creative intellects nurtured by this "Athens," the greatest belonged to the king himself.

His palace, erected at Texcotzingo, had aqueducts, baths, gardens, stairways and over 300 separate chambers. Nezahualcoyotl ruled from a golden throne adorned with turquoise, there he wrote his Lamentations, a philosophical study of life.

The “gardens of Texcotzingo” still exist to this day and they have recently been studied by a team of scientists associated with the Discovery Channel. This team was able to demonstrate by means of modeling and computer simulation that the layout of the site had been carefully planned to be in alignment with astronomical events, with an emphasis on Venus and not just aligned with the cardinal directions as previously assumed.

Some of the most sophisticated hydraulic systems in the world at that time were the creations of Nezahualcoyotl, who governed until his death in 1472. He is considered one of the great designers and architects of the pre-Hispanic era.

The water used for irrigating [the sacred space] was obtained from the springs in the mountains to the east, near the city of Texcoco. The water flowed downhill along canals to a short distance from Texcotzingo. The main problem was a deep canyon that ran from north to south; Nezahualcoyotl ordered that the gap be filled with tons of rocks and stones, thus creating the first Indian aqueduct.

The water was channeled through canals carved into rocks to water deposits on opposite sides of the mountain. In certain areas, the rock staircases were also used as waterfalls. The botanical collection included plants from the most remote corners of Mesoamerica and the growing Aztec Empire.

The whole hill of Texcotzingo was converted by man into a sacred place for Tláloc; the god of rain, complete with waterfalls, exotic animals and birds.

[On the summit of the mountain he constructed his shrine,] laid out in hanging gardens reached by an airy flight of five hundred and twenty marble steps. The number 52 is the number of years between each age, when the gods could decide to destroy humanity. In Aztec religion, the destruction of every era always occurred on the last day of each 52 year cycle (although each era lasted for several of these cycles).

To accurately reflect the sacred union of the “Father Sky and Mother Earth”, the site was built with balance and cosmic alignment in mind. The aqueducts, running water, rock carvings, statues of animals, flowers and abundant plant and animal life brought harmony with the natural world. To this day the site evokes a feeling of sacredness that is hard to describe.

Texcoco is rarely visited by tourists and the fact that one needs to climb a small mountain means that most local families have never been to the archeological zone and what remains of the botanical gardens. Only on solstice and equinox events do large numbers of people make the ascent to the sacred site, the rest of the time it is left to the shamans and healers that use it for initiations.

Nezahualcoyotl, son of Ixtlilxochitl and Matlalcihuatzin (daughter of Huitzilihuitl), was a noted poet, philosopher, and patron of the arts. He designed a code of law based on the division of power, which created the councils of finance, war, justice and culture (called the council of music). He was also skilled in engineering and practical arts, and said to have personally designed the dike across Lake Texcoco named after him that was still in use over a century after his death.

Though Nezahualcoyotl was born heir to a throne, his youth was not marked by princely luxury. The Texcocans were then fighting for their very existence against an invading tribe called the Tepanecos. In 1418, when the young prince was fifteen, the enemy succeeded in subjugating his people. While concealed in the branches of a tree, the youth saw Tepaneco soldiers butcher his father. He fled the grisly scene but was captured and thrown into a dungeon.

Only 48 years after his death the world of the ancient Mexicans was destroyed. First came the brutal conquest of the valley of Anahuac by Cortez and his Indian allies and then contagious diseases previously unknown in the New World. It is estimated that Mesoamerica had a population of 17 million inhabitants in 1521 (year of the conquest). The population dwindled over the next 100 years to 2 million.

It was only after the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego; a recently converted Indian, that mass conversions to Christianity occurred.

The fact that a dark-skinned Mary, speaking the nahuatl language had appeared on the hill of Tepeyac, where the Indians previously venerated the goddess Tonantzin gave the people hope.

This religious fervor is repeated every year when about 7 million pilgrims (most of them poor) make their way to the Basilica of Guadalupe on the Tepeyac mountain. Some travel hundreds of miles, walking or riding bicycles and it is not uncommon to see people completing the last few miles on bloody knees.

The poem that begins like this is widely attributed to him:

"All the earth is a grave and nothing escapes it"

But is almost certainly not by him as it contains ideas and language that were totally alien to him.

His authentic poems include:

In chololiztli (Song of Flight)
Ma zan moquetzacan (My Friends Stand Up!)
Nitlayocoya (I Am Sad)
Xopan cuicatl (Song of Springtime)
Ye nonnocuiltonohua (I Am Wealthy)
Zan yehuan (He Alone)
Xon Ahuiyacan (Be Joyful)

The date of Nezahualcoyotl's death is recorded as being June 4, 1472. Nezahualcoyotl was succeeded by his son Nezahualpilli.

His great-grandson Juan Bautista de Pomar is credited with the compilations of a collection of Nahuatl poems. Romances de los señores de la Nueva España, and with a chronicle of the history of the Aztecs.

Nezahualcoyotl appears on the current one-hundred peso banknote.