Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/491

MEXICO 473 Tepanecs in 1419 seized the Acolhuan capi- tal, assassinated the king, and placed their own prince Tegozomoc upon the throne, which was transmitted to his son Moxtla. But Nezahualcoyotl, the rightful heir, succeed- ed with the aid of the Mexicans not only in driving out the Tepanecs, but in conquering their country, which they gave to their allies the Mexicans. A league of mutual support and defence was then entered into by the princes of Mexico, Tezcuco, and Tlacopan, the conquered countries to be divided between the confed- erates, and the largest share to be awarded to Mexico. During a century of constant war- fare this pact was adhered to with the strictest fidelity. The Mexican monarch had the pre- dominance in matters of war ; the authority of the three was equal in all other concerns ; and no one ever meddled with the government of the others. Toward the middle of the 15th century, when the Acolhuan power began to decline, the Mexican king plundered a portion of his neighbor's territory, and arrogated to himself the title of emperor, though the Tez- cucan sovereigns continued to reign until the time of the conquest. These last had the pre- rogative of crowning those of Mexico. For the first 27 years after the foundation of Te- nochtitlan, the government was in the hands of a body of 20 nobles; but in 1352 it was trans- formed into an elective monarchy, Acamapitzin or Acamapichtle being the first king. In the beginning the power of the sovereigns was limited, and their prerogatives were very mod- erate; but with territorial extension and in- creased wealth came the introduction of court pomp and pageantry, and such despotism as characterized the reign of Montezuma I. After the election of a king, four princes or lords were chosen from among his nearest of kin, whose voice was indispensable in all state af- fairs ; they acted as senators, were presidents of the royal council, and one of their number was in due time elected successor to the crown, with sole reference to fitness for the office. In later times it was customary to appoint the four candidates to the government of minor states ; the one elected must have been general in the army, and not under 30 years of age. When the successor was under age, the government during his minority was committed to the senior of the royal family most fitted for the charge, whose election was confirmed by the kings of Tezcuco and Tlacopan. Three councils or cabinets assisted the king in the administra- tion: one for the revenue, another for war, and a third for the government of the prov- inces. The councillors or ministers, though necessarily of the nobility, owed their eligi- bility to long military service and a profound knowledge of state matters. The- nobles and priests were the main supporters of the nation- al interests ; but the influence of the latter in public affairs was more limited than in some of the earlier monarchies. They had no seat in the privy council, and their functions were chiefly restricted to superstitious exercises and foretelling the issue of campaigns. But they were intrusted with the education of children, were consulted on all grave family concerns, and their social influence was almost unbound- ed. Profound respect for the main principles of morality was evinced by the ancient Mexi- cans, with whom the security rather of person than of property was largely provided for. In the uninhabited districts of the kingdom, public inns were placed at intervals for the gratui- tous accommodation of wayfarers, and boats or bridges for their convenience in crossing rivers ; and when the roads were damaged by floods, they were repaired at the public ex- pense. A complete system of supreme and subordinate tribunals existed in all the towns, and a still more perfect judicial organization in the neighboring kingdom of Acolhuacan, where a council of all the judges throughout the realm was held once in 80 days at the capital, the monarch in person presiding, for the adjudication of causes left undetermined by the lower courts. The Aztecs were as re- markable for the moderation of their civil as for the severity of their penal code ; but their laws seem to have been administered less im- partially than in Tezcuco, and to have been somewhat flexible for the nobles and priests. Creditors could imprison their debtors, and had a claim upon their inheritance, but could not enslave the widows or orphans; and slaves about to be sold might free themselves by taking refuge in the royal palace. Adultery was punished with death, however noble the offender might be. For treason or any crime against the person of the monarch, embezzle- ment of the taxes, &c., the offender was put to death with all his kindred to the fourth degree. Murder, even of a slave, was always a capital crime. Drunkenness in youth was a capital offence ; in persons of maturer years, though not capital, it was punished with severity ; but men of 70 years, and all persons on festive oc- casions, were permitted the use of wine. He who lied to the prejudice of another had a por- tion of his lips cut off, and sometimes his ears. Finally, he who robbed in the market, altered the lawful measures, or removed the legal boundaries in the fields, was immediately put to death ; and conspirators against the prince, and those who committed adultery with the prince's wife, were torn to pieces limb by limb. The murder of a merchant or an am- bassador, or any injury or insult to the latter, was considered a sufficient cause of war. Du- ring a series of very cruel wars, all prisoners were devoured or enslaved. At one time the laws were so few that the people knew them all by heart. They were represented by paint- ings ; and the judges were attended by clever clerks, or painters, who by means of figures described the suits and the parties concerned therein. The Mexicans had two sorts of pris- ons, one for debtors and persons not guilty of capital crimes, the other a species of cage in