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"There are no more Roman Kings, Chinese Emperors, Egyptian Pharoahs, Aztec Monarchs"Which got me to wondering if we knew enough about the Aztec language and social structure for us to know what an Aztec Monarch was called:
Hu'i Tlahto-nia (AFI [we.i t.a.toa'a'n'ni]) or Wei Tlahtoanib is a Nahuatl expression, used to call the rulers (tlahto-ni, "orator") of the Triple Alliance (Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan), who exercised their power over the valley of Mexico. The word fleei means "great, long, tall." Hui Tlahtoi, therefore, means "great ruler, great speaker." The plural in Nahuatl is hu'i tlahtohquehh (or hu'i tlahtoanih). es.wikipedia.org - Huey Tlatoani (trans)
And:
Each āltepētl had its own tlahtoāni who would concurrently function as its ruler, high priest and commander-in-chief. The tlahtoāni wielded ultimate authority over all land within the āltepētl, overseeing tribute collection, market activities, temple affairs, and the resolution of judicial disputes. Typically a dynastic ruler hailing from the royal lineage, the tlahtoāni served for life. However, in certain instances, a council of nobles, elders, and priests could elect a tlahtoāni from a pool of four candidates.
The term tlahtoāni ([t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːniˀ]) is an agent noun derived from the verb tlahtoa, meaning "to speak", thereby carrying the literal meaning of "one who speaks". In English, it has been translated variously as "king", "sovereign", "ruler" or, based on its etymology, "speaker". It takes the plural form tlahtohqueh ([t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔkeʔ]), and the construct form *tlahtohcā-, as in tlahtohcāyōtl ("rulership, realm"), tlahtohcātlālli ("royal lands"), and tlahtohcācalli ("royal palace"). Wikipedia: Tlatoani - WikipediaFurther:
Pipiltin often headed their own noble houses, called tecalli, with their own lands and dependent labourers. The subclasses within the Pipiltin were: tlahtohcapilli (a tlahtoani's son), tecpilli or teucpilli (a teuctli's son), tlazohpilli (son of a legitimate wife), and calpanpilli (son of a concubine). Wikipedia: Pipiltin - WikipediaAll sorts of great new words in there for, say, names of boats, family homes, so-called natural children, stray tomcats and the like.
-- sutton
