The Lords of Tetzcoco
The Transformation of Indigenous Rule in Postconquest Central Mexico

The book examines how the indigenous nobility of Tetzcoco navigated the tumult of Spanish conquest and early colonialism.

Bradley Benton (Author)

9781107190580, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 May 2017

212 pages, 15 b/w illus. 2 maps 4 tables
23.6 x 15.7 x 1.8 cm, 0.44 kg

'Benton presents the accelerating struggle over land and water resources through the testimonies of a number of archival documents that reveal the extent of the conflict between Tetzcocan nobles and entrepreneurial intruders.' Justyna Olko, Latin American Research Review

Tetzcoco was one of the most important cities of the pre-Hispanic Aztec Empire. When the Spaniards arrived in 1519, the indigenous hereditary nobles that governed Tetzcoco faced both opportunities and challenges, and were forced to adapt from the very moment of contact. This book examines how the city's nobility navigated this tumultuous period of conquest and colonialism, and negotiated a place for themselves under Spanish rule. While Tetzcoco's native nobles experienced a remarkable degree of continuity with the pre-contact period, especially in the first few decades after conquest, various forces and issues, such as changing access to economic resources, interethnic marriage, and intra-familial conflict, transformed Tetzcoco's ruling family into colonial subjects by the century's end.

Introduction
Part I. Conquest and Continuity: 1. Tumultuous colonial beginnings, 1515–39
2. Reassertion of traditional authority, 1540–64
Part II. Post-1564 Transformative Forces: 3. Noble resources: tribute, labor, and land
4. Interethnic unions and the rise of Mestizos
5. Family conflict and local power
Conclusions: a colonial aristocracy.

Subject Areas: Colonialism & imperialism [HBTQ], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK]