The first human presence in the area was of hunter gatherers, who eventually settled into farming communities. The first settlements in the Xochimilco area were associated with the
Cuicuilco,
Copilco and
Tlatilco settlements during the
Classic period. The Xochimilca people, considered to be one of the seven tribes that migrated into the
Valley of Mexico from
Chicomoztoc, first settled around 900 CD in
Cuahilama, near what is now Santa Cruz Acalpixca. They worshipped sixteen deities, with
Chantico, goddess of the hearth and
Cihuacoatl, an earth goddess and
Amimitl, god of chinampas the most important. Although
Nahuatl was the main language, there was an
Otomi minority. The Xochimilcas were farmers and founded their first dominion under a leader named Acatonallo. He is credited for inventing the chinampa system of agriculture in order to increase production. These chinampas eventually became the main producer with crops such as corn, beans,
chili peppers, squash and more. The city of Xochimilco was founded in 919. Over time, it grew and began to dominate other areas on the south side of the lakes such as
Mixquic,
Tláhuac,
Culhuacan and even parts of what is now the
State of Morelos. Xochimilco had one woman ruler, which did not happen anywhere else in
Mesoamerica in the pre-Hispanic period. She is credited with adding a number of distinctive dishes to the area’s cuisine, with inclusions such as
necuatolli, chileatolli (
atole with chili pepper),
esquites and
tlapiques. In 1352, then emperor
Caxtoltzin moved the city from the mainland to the island of Tlilan. In this respect it was like another island city in the area,
Tenochtitlan. Although no longer an island, the city center is still in the same spot. In 1376, Tenochtitlan attacked Xochimilco, forcing the city to appeal to
Azcapotzalco for help. The conquest was unsuccessful, but Xochimilco was then forced to pay tribute to Azcapotzalco. Tenochtitlan succeeded in conquering Xochimilco in 1430, while it was ruled by Tzalpoyotzin. Shortly thereafter, Aztec emperor
Itzcoatl built the
causeway or calzada that would connect the two cities over the lake. During the reign of
Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, the Xochimilcas contributed materials and manpower to construct a temple to
Huitzilopochtli. They also participated in the further conquests of the
Aztec Empire such as in
Cuauhnáhuac (Cuernavaca),
Xalisco and the
Metztitlán and
Oaxaca valleys. For their service,
Ahuizotl, granted the Xochimilcas autonomy in their lands, and the two cities coexisted peacefully. Aztec emperors would pass by here on royal barges on their way to
Chalco/Xico, then an island in
Lake Chalco. Aztec emperor
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin imposed a new governor, Omácatl, onto Xochimilco due to the arrival of the Spanish, but this governor was forced to return to
Tenochtitlan, when the emperor was taken prisoner. He was then succeeded by Macuilxochitecuhtli, but eighty days later he too went to Tenochtitlan to fight the Spanish alongside
Cuitláhuac. He was followed by Apochquiyautzin, who remained loyal to Tenochtitlan. For this reason,
Hernán Cortés decided to send armies to subdue Xochimilco before taking Tenochtitlan. This occurred in 1521. During the battle, Cortés was almost killed when he fell off his horse, but he was saved by a soldier named Cristóbal de Olea. The battle was fierce and left few Xochimilca warriors alive. According to legend, it was after this battle that
Cuauhtémoc came to Xochimilco and planted a juniper tree in the San Juan neighborhood to commemorate the event. Pre-Hispanic Xochimilco was an island connected to the mainland by three causeways. One of these still exists in the form of Avenida Guadalupe I.Ramirez, one of the city’s main streets. This causeway led to the main ceremonial center of the town, which was called the Quilaztli. The Spanish destroyed the Quilaztli during the Conquest, and replaced it with the
San Bernardino de Siena Church, which would become the social and political center of the colonial city. It became a settlement of Spanish,
criollos and
mestizos, with the indigenous living in rural communities outside of the city proper. After the Conquest,
Apochquiyauhtzin, the last lord of Xochimilco, was baptized with the name of Luís Cortés Cerón de Alvarado in 1522 and he was allowed to continue governing under the Spanish. Evangelization was undertaken here by
Martín de Valencia with a number of others who are known as the
first twelve Franciscans in Mexico. Their monastery was built between 1534 and 1579, along with many chapels and churches in the Xochimilco area, a hospital in Tlacoapa and a school. Xochimilco was made an
encomienda of
Pedro de Alvarado in 1521 and remained such until 1541. ==See also==