Isabel Moctezuma facts for kids

Doña Isabel Moctezuma (born Tecuichpoch Ichcaxochitzin; around 1510 – 1551) was a very important Aztec princess. She was the daughter of Moctezuma II, the powerful ruler of the Aztec Empire. Isabel was also the wife of two Aztec emperors, Cuitláhuac and Cuauhtémoc. This made her the last Aztec empress.

After the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire, Doña Isabel was seen as Moctezuma's true heir. She was one of the few native Mexicans given an encomienda. This was a special grant of land and people to manage. She married three Spanish men and was widowed five times. She had a daughter with the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés. Her sons later started a line of Spanish noble families. The title of Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo still exists today.

Isabel's Early Life and Marriages

Family Background and First Marriages

Doña Isabel's birth name was Tecuichpotzin. This name means "lord's daughter" in the Nahuatl language. Her mother was Princess Teotlalco, who was Moctezuma's main wife. This meant Tecuichpotzin was the most important of Moctezuma's daughters.

When she was a young child, Tecuichpotzin married Atlixcatzin. He was an Aztec noble. Sadly, he died around 1520. After her father, Moctezuma, was killed, she quickly married her uncle, Cuitláhuac. He became the new emperor. However, Cuitláhuac died from smallpox after only 80 days.

Then, Cuauhtémoc became emperor and married Tecuichpotzin. She was only about eleven or twelve years old at the time of this third marriage.

During the Spanish Conquest

Hernán Cortés and his Spanish soldiers arrived in Tenochtitlan in November 1519. They lived in Moctezuma's palace for several months. During this time, they took Moctezuma hostage. He later died, though it is unclear if he was killed by the Spanish or his own people.

The Aztecs fought back and forced Cortés and his army out of Tenochtitlan. This event is known as La Noche Triste (The Sad Night) and happened on June 30, 1520. Tecuichpotzin was left behind in the city. Aztec leaders quickly arranged her marriages to Cuitláhuac and then Cuauhtémoc.

Cortés returned in 1521 with many Spanish soldiers and native allies. Most of these allies were from Tlaxcala. They attacked Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs were weakened by a smallpox sickness. They were eventually defeated. Cuauhtémoc and his court tried to escape by boat but were captured. Cuauhtémoc asked the Spanish to treat the women of his court, including his young wife Tecuichpotzin, with respect. In 1525, Cortés ordered Cuauhtémoc's execution. Tecuichpotzin became a widow for the third time.

Life After the Conquest

Becoming a Christian and Marrying Spaniards

Cortés saw Tecuichpotzin as a link between the old Aztec rule and the new Spanish rule. She was taught about Christianity. She converted to Catholicism around 1526 and was baptized as Isabel. From then on, she was known as Doña Isabel. She seemed to truly believe in her new religion. She gave a lot of money to the Augustinians, a religious group. Isabel learned about Christianity but never learned to read.

Cortés arranged for Doña Isabel to marry his friend Alonso de Grado in June 1526. As part of this marriage, Doña Isabel received a large encomienda. This was a grant of land and the people living on it. Her encomienda included the city of Tacuba, which was about eight kilometers (five miles) west of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). It was the largest encomienda in the Valley of Mexico. This shows how important Isabel was to Cortés.

Doña Isabel's encomienda lasted for many centuries. The Spanish and later Mexican governments paid money to her descendants until 1933. Today, a Count of Miravalle, who is a descendant of Moctezuma, still lives in Spain.

Her Views on Slavery

Isabel's thoughts on slavery have become a topic of interest. She owned many slaves, which was common for Aztec nobles. However, by the end of her life, she freed all of them.

In July 1526, Cortés gave Isabel's husband, Alonso de Grado, an important job. He became a "Visitador Real," a royal inspector. His job was to check on how Christianity was spreading and make sure that laws for treating native people well were followed. He was also supposed to stop illegal enslavement.

Alonso died while doing this job. Isabel learned a lot about these new laws through her husband. At first, she was not happy about the Spanish trying to limit slave ownership. As a native noble, she had a special right to keep the slaves she owned before the conquest. She could also treat them in her traditional ways. She used this right and owned many native slaves throughout her life.

However, in her will, she freed all her slaves. She also made sure they had ways to live after gaining their freedom. This change of heart is not fully understood. But it has led some to see her as an early activist against slavery. In her will, she wrote: "I want, and I order, and it is my will, that all my slaves, Indian men and women, born from this land, whom Juan Cano, my husband, and I hold as our own, as far as my right over them extends, shall be free of all servitude and captivity, and as free people they shall do as they will, for I don't hold them as slaves; so if they are (slaves) I will and command for them to be free."

More Marriages and Children

Doña Isabel was described as "very beautiful." Her fourth husband, Alonso de Grado, died soon after their marriage. Isabel, about seventeen years old, was now a widow for the fourth time. Cortés took her into his home, and she became pregnant. He quickly arranged for her to marry another friend, Pedro Gallego de Andrade.

A few months later, her daughter, Leonor Cortés Moctezuma, was born. Isabel did not want to recognize the child. So, Leonor was cared for by Juan Gutiérrez de Altamirano, another friend of Cortés. However, Cortés accepted Leonor as his own daughter. He made sure she was raised well and received money from his and Doña Isabel’s property.

Isabel and Pedro Gallego had a son named Juan de Andrade Gallego Moctezuma, born in 1530. But Gallego also died soon after. In 1532, Isabel married her sixth husband, Juan Cano de Saavedra. They had three sons and two daughters: Pedro, Gonzalo, Juan, Isabel, and Catalina Cano de Moctezuma. Isabel and Catalina became nuns at the first convent in the Americas. Both daughters, and likely her sons, received a good education.

Death and Legacy

Genealogy of Tecuichpoch

Doña Isabel died in 1550 or 1551. She left behind a large amount of property. This included her encomienda and many personal items she had gained during her marriages to the Spaniards. Before these marriages, she was an Aztec princess who owned nothing but her important name.

Her will gives us clues about her personality. She ordered that her native slaves be set free. She also wanted one-fifth of her property to go to the Catholic Church. All her debts, including wages owed to servants, were to be paid. She had collected jewelry and other valuable items. She asked that many of these be given to her daughters. Other property was to be sold, and one-third of that money was for her daughters. As a final wish, 20 percent of her property was to be given to Leonor, her daughter with Cortés. This was likely a dowry, as Leonor was married or about to be married.

Isabel gave most of her encomienda to her oldest son, Juan de Andrade. However, her widower, Juan Cano, and Diego Arias de Sotelo challenged this. Arias de Sotelo claimed that Leonor (Mariana) Moctezuma, Isabel's half-sister, was Moctezuma's true heir. After years of legal battles, Arias de Sotelo's claim was rejected. Tacuba was then divided between Juan Cano and Juan de Andrade.

Modern Descendants

The Miravalle line of Spanish nobility started with Isabel's son, Juan de Andrade. Her sons, Pedro and Gonzalo Cano, became important citizens in Mexico City. Her son, Juan Cano Moctezuma, married into a well-known family in Cáceres, Spain. The Palacio de Toledo-Moctezuma still stands there today.

Isabel's last husband, Juan Cano, died in Seville in 1572. The family lines from Isabel and her sister mixed with Spanish noble families. Since converted native nobles were considered Spanish nobles, Aztec royal blood was highly respected. It is thought that Isabel has about 2000 descendants in Spain today. Many noble titles in Spain come directly from her and her sister.

Why Isabel Moctezuma Was Important

We don't know a lot about Doña Isabel beyond the main events of her life. But she seems to have been more than just a pawn in the hands of Aztec leaders and Spanish conquerors. Her will shows she was a strong and thoughtful woman. She successfully changed from an Aztec princess to a Spanish noblewoman.

Her descendants are a great example of mestizaje. This means mixing Spanish and native Mexican family lines. This mixing would become a key part of Mexico's future. The Spanish wanted native people to adopt Spanish ways of life, religion, and culture. Isabel, whether by choice or by need, was one of the first big successes in blending Spanish and native Mexican cultures.

See also

In Spanish: Isabel Moctezuma Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin para niños

• List of Tenochtitlan rulers