Macuilxochitl Extended Biography
MacuilxochitlExtended BiographyYou may wish to share this biography with students, or just to read it for your own information.According to the famed Mexican anthropologist and historian Miguel León-Portilla, Macuilxochitl was a Mexica (Aztec) woman who spoke the Nahuatl language. Born around 1453, she was a noblewoman who lived in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. She is celebrated as a great poetess.Macuilxochitl’s name is significant. Like many other Aztec names, it corresponds to a day on the calendar—Five-Flower. This was probably the day she was born. But it was also one of the names of the dual gendered god/goddess of “art, songs, and dance,” according to León-Portilla, and Macuilxochitl’s naming may have been meant to honor the god/goddess. Macuilxochitl lived at what many think of as the height of the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlan led a coalition that defeated the dominant power in the region, Azcapotzalco, just years before Macuilxochitl was born. This victory launched a string of Aztec conquests during her youth. The Aztecs and their allies conquered the cities of Cuitlahuac, Mizquic, Xochimilco, Tecamachalco, and others. From 1469 to 1473, the armies of Tenochtitlan also subdued their neighbor and sometimes ally, the Mexica city of Tlatelolca.As a result of these successful conquests, Macuilxochitl grew up in an Aztec state characterized by a tribute economy. Conquered peoples sent fine gifts like jewelry, cloth, and feathers to Tenochtitlan, which grew in size and splendor. Aztec merchants—known as pochteca—traveled long distances by foot, carrying Aztec trade goods and bringing back luxury goods from distant areas. These pochteca and the tribute economy made Tenochtitlan the center of a vast Mesoamerican network.Macuilxochitl’s father, Tlacaelel, was an important adviser to several Aztec rulers. He was sometimes called “the conqueror of the world.” Tlacaelel had 12 children, some of whom—including Macuilxochitl—may have been adopted. He made sure all his children had fine educations. According to León-Portilla, Macuilxochitl would have been trained in domestic arts such as weaving, embroidery, and cooking, but also in courtly literature. She also clearly learned something about politics and war, as is reflected in her famous poem, Macuilxochitl Icuic (The Song of Macuilxochitl). This song told the story of a military campaign against the Matlatzinca and Otomi, in which the great ruler Axayacatl was wounded.Macuilxochitl was also the mother of a prince, Cuauhtlapaltzin.
Macuilxochitl - Extended Biography2Sources:León-Portilla, Miguel, ed. Fifteen Poets of the Aztec World. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.“Poeta Mexicana Macuilxochitzin.” Isliada | Literatura Cubana Contemporánea (in Spanish). Accessed March 15, 2020. https://www.isliada.org/poetas/macuilxochitzin/