Before the conquest, Ayutla was a
Tlapanec settlement. It was conquered by the
Aztec Empire, likely during the reign of
Ahuitzotl, and was transformed into a strategic province that ruled over several towns, such as Tonalá, Copala,
Jalapa, Nexpa (located near modern
Cruz Grande), Cuautepec, Cuilutla, Cintla (located either near
Marquelia or Agua Zarca), Cahuitán, and possibly Tutepec. Most of these towns spoke either
Nahuatl (concentrated on the coastal plain) or
Tlapanec (concentrated inland), but Cintla and Cahuitan had their own languages, now extinct without ever being described. Ayutla paid biannual tribute in cotton, fish, jaguar and deer skins, gourds, and one gold bar three fingers thick. Gold and cacao were the most important resources of the region, and Ayutla itself specialized in jaguar skins. Ayutla was ruled by a "governor and captain" and fought wars with Jalapa and Nexpa, as well as the Yope people to the west, which led to the Mexica stationing a garrison and a
calpixqui (tax-collector) at Tutepec. ==References==