Teotlalpan

Teotlalpan (Nahuatl: teōtlālpan) was a pre-Columbian province in the north of the Valley of Mexico and actual Mezquital Valley, founded by the Tepanecs and inhabited by Otomian people.^[1] This region was knew in all Spanish Colonial period.

Name

Teotlalpan word in Spanish language has got many interpretations, the most common is Land of gods, the etymology is teotl (god) and tlalli (land).^[2][3] Francisco del Paso y Troncoso tells us, a cardinal point of the Aztecs from Mictlampa or Land of deaths.^[4]

Geography

This territory was known by Chichimeca-Nahuas as strange land, dangerous and arid planes or deserts, was administrated by Kingdom of Acolhuacan.^[5][6] The fields are irrigated along the Tula River, the edges of the rivers were used for irrigation and husbandry, the region is characterized by green river valleys and very dry hills.^[7]

It was never well defined the northern region of Valley of Mexico, but included the provinces of Hueypoxtla and Axacopan.^[8] It is said to begin at the end of Otompan, the altepeme as Tepotzotlan, Huehuetoca, Epazoyocan, Citlaltepec, Itzcuincuitlapilan, Hueypoxtla, Tzompanco, Xaltocan, Xilotzinco, Tequixquiac, Tetlapanaloyan, Apaxco, Ajoloapan, Zacacalco, Tolcayocan and spread across arid valley now known as Mezquital Valley to places as Tizayuca, Tepeji, Atotonilco, Tetepanco, Tolnacuxtla, Chilcuautla, Tepatepec, Mizquiahuala, Ixmiquilpan, Zimapan, Actopan Valley, Chapantongo, Pachuca, Cempohuallan, Tolcayocan and all region bordering the mythical city of Tula.

History

After the fall of Tula Xicocotitlan, a large desert region was populated by the Toltecs, people otomi and nahua, this region was named by Tepanecs of Tlacopan as Teotlalpan. With the expansion of chichimecas, Teotlalpan was important in Mesoamerica, no surprise that derives this name of the region by the presence of ancient Teotihuacan people.^[9]

The submission of the altepemeh was not easy, there were wars between various groups, but eventually all towns or altepetl were conquered by Nahua tribes and were forced to pay taxes to the tlatoanis of Mexico Tenochtitlan.

The viceregal government justified this by religious orders means in Teotlalpan region, Franciscans and Augustinians was a evangelizers of indigenous people of The Teotlalpan.^[10]

See also

• Mezquital Valley
• Cerro Mesa Ahumada
• Pahñu
• Cerro Ponzha

Notes

References

• Palma, Vladimira (2010). "La Teotlalpan, Tierra de los dioses: la etnicidad entre los otomíes" (8). Primer Circulo: 1–327. JSTOR 9786079148010. 
• Karttunen, Frances (1983). An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-8061-2421-0.