"Hummingbird Feather"
1391-1417
Upon the death of his father, Acamapichtli, Huitzilihhuitl became the king of the Aztecs.
During his reign, the Aztecs remained subordinate to the Tepanecs but they continued to rise in importance. They no longer had to pay significant tribute to Azcapotzalco and their military grew. They also began to make political and military decisions independently of the Tepanecs (Hassig 1988).
One of the important advancements that occurred during Huitzilihhuitl’s reign was the use of the canoe in the military. (Hassig 1988) Due to energetic constraints, warfare prior to this point was basically fought around the lakeshore where it was feasible for armies on foot to travel. However, the canoe opened up many new possibilities. The canoes were ten meters or so in length and could carry up to a dozen men and possibly up to a ton in weight (Drennan 1984). It is unclear whether or not the canoes were actually used in battle (to launch projectile weapons from) at this point, but they were surely used for transport, allowing armies to fight further away from their point of origin (Hassig 1988).
Under Huitzilihhuitl, the Aztecs helped to expand the Tepanec Empire greatly. They launched a campaign with the help of Tetzcoco against Xaltocan in the north, which resulted in the conquering of not only that city, but also its tributaries, Xilotepec, Tepotzotlan, Tollan, Cuauhtitlan, and Cuauhximalpan (Hassig 1988).
The other large campaign of this king’s reign was against Tetzcoco, one of the Aztec’s allies against the Tepanecs. The king of Tetzcoco, Ixtlilxochitl, breached tributary obligations with the Tepanecs. Over this, the two cities went to war, the Tepanecs allying themselves with Tetzcoco tributaries who secretly favored the Tepanecs. At the end, the Tepanecs conquered Itztapallocan, Otompan, Acolman, Tepechpan, and Tollantzinco. Tetzcoco would not fall until later (Hassig 1988).