One of the best things about living in a city is coming across an utterly unexpected event or people or place. On Saturday, Febuary 25th, after the Peace Fair I wandered around Barrio Viejo and came across a family dancing on the sidewalk in front of the statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last emperor of the Aztecs. At the base of the statue were small bowls with smoldering herbs in them. The clothing they wore was quite similar to the clothes worn by Aztec Fire Dancers in Los Angeles.
There were only a few people observing. Because it appeared to be a personal family event I snapped some photos from a distance. When the dancers took a break, I got close enough to ask the woman dancer what it was all about but she just waved at the statue. So when I got home I did some research.
A short reign as emperor
First of all, I learned that the statue on the corner of Simpson and Meyer in Barrio Viejo is of Cuauhtemoc, the final emperor of the Aztecs.
According to Wikipedia: “The name Cuauhtemōc means “one who has descended like an eagle”, and is commonly rendered in English as “Descending Eagle”, as in the moment when an eagle folds its wings and plummets down to strike its prey. This is a name that implies aggressiveness and determination. Cuauhtémoc took power as emperor in 1520 as successor of Cuitláhuac and was a cousin of the late emperor Moctezuma II.”
Intrigue and battles followed and on February 27th, 1521 Cuauhtémoc and two other leaders who were allies with him, were tortured and hanged by orders of Cortes. That brought the Aztec empire officially to an end. The Spanish priest Diaz who was with Cortes’ forces later wrote that the hanging was unjust.
But not forgotten
So 502 years after his death, Cuauhtémoc was honored in Tucson on a warm. sunny afternoon. He was only 27 years old at the time of his death.
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