kingdom · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Yanhuitlan
Origins
Yanhuitlan, Yodzo Cahi in Mixtec, emerged as a significant kingdom in the fertile Nochixtlán valley in the Postclassic period, from around 1200, and became one of the most populous Mixtec states.
Rule and society
It was ruled by a hereditary lord and lady drawn from the intermarried Mixtec nobility. Like its neighbours, it was organised into a royal household, nobles and dependent commoners, and produced cochineal, textiles and fine crafts. It was made a tributary of the Aztec Empire in the late 15th century.
Decline and legacy
Yanhuitlan came under Spanish rule around 1522. The Inquisition trial of its native lords in 1544-46 for practising traditional religion is a key source on Mixtec society. The vast 16th-century Dominican church of Santo Domingo still dominates the town.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Yanhuitlan paid tribute to Aztec Empire1325 CE – 1521 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Yanhuitlan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yanhuitlan
- MLA
- “Yanhuitlan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yanhuitlan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Yanhuitlan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yanhuitlan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Yanhuitlan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yanhuitlan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻