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Consolidation of Aztec Triple Alliance Hegemony (1490s)

Type Event Region Mesoamerica Time 1490–1500

In the 1490s, the Aztec Triple Alliance under Ahuitzotl reached the peak of its territorial and political hegemony, maintaining indirect rule as far …

Timeline

  1. 1490–1495Valleys of Oaxaca · OaxacaAfter acceding in 1486, Ahuitzotl continued expanding, conquering the central Oaxaca valleys and the Soconusco coast in the 1490s and pushing into the cacao-producing regions near the Guatemalan frontier, bringing the alliance's territory to one of its greatest extents.
  2. 1492–1498Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoBy Ahuitzotl's time, the Mexica had become the most powerful faction in the alliance. The ruler adopted the title huehuetlatoani ('elder speaker') to distinguish himself from the tlatoani of Texcoco and Tlacopan; though the alliance was nominally co-ruled, Tenochtitlan held practical precedence.
  3. 1495–1500Otzoma frontier zone · MorelosThe alliance maintained hegemony through indirect rule: conquered city-states kept local rulers but had to pay tribute and supply troops. Friction with the Purépecha (Tarascan) frontier intensified in the 1490s; Ahuitzotl turned Otzoma into a military outpost and pushed further west to the Guerrero Pacific coast.

Sources