Altepetl

The altepetl (Classical Nahuatl: āltepētl [aːɬ.ˈté.peːt͡ɬ] ^ⓘ, plural altepeme^[1] or altepemeh) was the local, ethnically-based political entity, usually translated into English as "city-state," of pre-Columbian Nahuatl-speaking societies^[2] in the Americas. The altepetl was constituted of smaller units known as calpolli and was typically led by a single dynastic ruler known as a tlatoani, although examples of shared rule between up to five rulers are known.^[3] Each altepetl had its own jurisdiction, origin story, and served as the center of Indigenous identity.^[4] Residents referred to themselves by the name of their altepetl rather than, for instance, as "Mexicas."^[5] "Altepetl" was a polyvalent term rooting the social and political order in the creative powers of a sacred mountain that contained the ancestors, seeds and life-giving forces of the community.^[6] The word is a combination of the Nahuatl words ātl (meaning "water") and tepētl (meaning "mountain"). A characteristic Nahua mode was to imagine the totality of the people of a region or of the world as a collection of altepetl units and to speak of them on those terms.^[7]^: 36 The concept is comparable to Maya cah and Mixtec ñuu. Altepeme formed a vast complex network which predated and outlasted larger empires, such as the Aztec and Tarascan state.^[4]

Established altepeme were characterized by a central temple dedicated to a patron god particular to the identity of the altepetl and a central market. Altepeme were typically multiethnic and communal cohesion was often maintained through territorial exclusiveness.^[3]

^ Cite error: The named reference Licate1981 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Smith 1997 p. 37
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Seiferle2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Crewe2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Mundy2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Noguez2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Sousa1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Licate1981-1] Cite error: The named reference Licate1981 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Smith1997-2] Smith 1997 p. 37

[Seiferle2007-3] Cite error: The named reference Seiferle2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Crewe2019-4] Cite error: The named reference Crewe2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Mundy2012-5] Cite error: The named reference Mundy2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Noguez2001-6] Cite error: The named reference Noguez2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Sousa1998-7] Cite error: The named reference Sousa1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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