Chalchiuhnenetzin

Chalchiuhnenetzin ('noble jade doll') was an Aztec princess of Tenochtitlan, and a Queen consort of Tlatelolco by marriage to Moquihuix of Tlatelolco. She is foremost known in history for the famous legends about her lovers.

Biography

Family

She was a daughter of prince Tezozomoc and his cousin, princess Atotoztli II.

She was the sister of the emperors Axayacatl, Tizoc and Ahuitzotl and the aunt of Moctezuma II and Cuitláhuac.

Marriage

Chalchiuhnenetzin married Moquihuix (d. 1473), king of Tlatelolco, an altepetl, or city-state. She had a son with him, Axayaca, named after her brother.

Moquihuix neglected Chalchiuhnenetzin, preferring the company of other women. Reportedly, he was not attracted to her because she "was quite thin, was not fleshy". He gave the gifts sent to her by her brother to his mistresses, relegated Chalchiuhnenetzin to the position of a concubine, gave her only simple coarse clothing and had her sleeping in a corner; reportedly, he also beat her.

However, she eventually decided to keep three of her lovers alive. When the king came to visit, he noticed that one of these men was wearing a bracelet he had given his wife. When he decided that he wanted to sleep with her, he noted that she had been replaced in his bed by a statue. He was directed to a room where he discovered Chalchiuhnenetzin committing adultery with her three lovers. The legend of her lovers and her execution is part of the narrative of the protagonist in the novel's story. In the novel she is married to Nezahualpilli.