Moctezuma's Children: Aztec Royalty under Spanish Rule, 1520-1700 [Hardcover]

Donald E. Chipman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0292706286 | ISBN-13: 978-0292706286 | Edition: Lst Ed

Though the Aztec Empire fell to Spain in 1521, three principal heirs of the last emperor, Moctezuma II, survived the conquest and were later acknowledged by the Spanish victors as reyes naturales (natural kings or monarchs) who possessed certain inalienable rights as Indian royalty. For their part, the descendants of Moctezuma II used Spanish law and customs to maintain and enhance their status throughout the colonial period, achieving titles of knighthood and nobility in Mexico and Spain. So respected were they that a Moctezuma descendant by marriage became Viceroy of New Spain (colonial Mexico's highest governmental office) in 1696. This authoritative history follows the fortunes of the principal heirs of Moctezuma II across nearly two centuries. Drawing on extensive research in both Mexican and Spanish archives, Donald E. Chipman shows how daughters Isabel and Mariana and son Pedro and their offspring used lawsuits, strategic marriages, and political maneuvers and alliances to gain pensions, rights of entailment, admission to military orders, and titles of nobility from the Spanish government. Chipman also discusses how the Moctezuma family history illuminates several larger issues in colonial Latin American history, including women's status and opportunities and trans-Atlantic relations between Spain and its New World colonies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book furnishes us with a rich, valuable appreciation of the circumstance and heritage of the great Emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotl's most prestigious descendants. (Susan Schroeder American Historical Review 200602)

About the Author

DONALD E. CHIPMAN is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Texas in Denton. In 2003, King Juan Carlos I of Spain knighted him as a Caballero of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, the highest honor that can be accorded to a non-Spaniard.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; Lst Ed edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292706286
• ISBN-13: 978-0292706286
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moctezuma's children, May 23, 2009

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Victoria M. Maillo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moctezuma's Children: Aztec Royalty under Spanish Rule, 1520-1700 (Hardcover)

Very good book,with a lot of data and easy to read.I bought this book to find some family roots and the book coverts all my expectations.It's very impressive all the beautiful and human story behind the book.