Background
A grandson of Axayacatl, Nephew of tlatoani Moctezuma World War II Moctezuma was already prisoner of Cortés in Tenochtitlan, the people of Ecatepec accepted him as their ruler and hid him along with his mother.
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Diego Alvarado Huanitzin
Edit Profilegovernor of Tenochtitlan prisoner of Cortés
Career
He was initially the tlatoani (ruler) of Ecatepec before becoming tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, as well as its first governor under the colonial Spanish system of government. He had been designated governor (tlatoani) of Ecatépec by Moctezuma, in the year 2 Técpatl after the death of Chimalpilli the former tlatoani. After the fall of Tenochtitlan, he was one of the five Aztec lords held captive by Cortés along with Cuauhtemoc, the cihuacohuatl Tlacotzin, Oquiztzin, and Motelchiuhtzin.
Along them he was also tortured, with his feet burned, because of the gold lost by the Spaniards when they had to flee Tenochtitlan.
Cortés took Huanitzin along with many other indigenous rulers in his travel to Honduras. He was spared from execution when Cuauhtemoc was hanged by Cortés along with Tetlepanquetzatzin, tlatoani of Tlacopan and don Pedro Cohuanacochtzin.
After the return of Cortés, Huanitzin was released and returned as Tlatoani of Ecatepec, where he ruled 14 years. As grandson of a former Tlatoani, in the year 7 Tochtli (1538), he was chosen as the first governor of Tenochtitlan (Mexico), by the don Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of México.
Tenochtitlan had been without official ruler for almost a year.
Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin died in 1541. Huanitzin may have created a featherwork representation of the Mass of Saint Gregory, after a Dutch engraving. Dated 1539, it is the earliest dated work of art in New Spain.
