Tututepec

Origins

Tututepec, Yucu Dzaa in Mixtec, became a royal seat in the late 11th century, when Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw established himself there around 1083 and used it as a base for conquests. It grew into the largest state of the Mixteca Costa.

Rule and society

Tututepec controlled a large coastal territory with many subject towns, drawing tribute in cotton, cacao, gold and shells. Its rulers fought the Zapotecs and the Aztec Empire, which never fully conquered it. Archaeological survey shows a city of perhaps 20,000 people with outlying settlements across the lower Río Verde valley.

Decline and legacy

In 1522 Pedro de Alvarado conquered Tututepec and seized its gold. The kingdom became a Spanish encomienda, and its native lords survived as caciques in the colonial era.