Teocalhueyacan

Did you know that Teocalhueyacan once stood tall in this very valley? Imagine a bustling Otomi town a vital part of the Valley of Mexico. Teocalhueyacan thrived before the arrival of Hernan Cortes. It was a tributary of the Triple Alliance. This made Teocalhueyacan a political enemy of the Alliance and its Nahua neighbors in Calacoayan. Teocalhueyacan’s strategic location proved vital. After the Noche Triste the Otomi leaders offered refuge to Cortes’ weary army. This pivotal meeting took place in Totoltepec near Naucalpan. The Teocalhueyacanos provided food. This act sealed a pact that led to the infamous Massacre of Calacoayan on July 2 1520. Afterwards Cortes’ forces stayed in Teocalhueyacan’s courtyards. The teocalli there was reportedly as grand as Tenayuca’s. Miguel Leon-Portilla’s “La Vision de los Vencidos” vividly describes this encounter. The Otomi leader El Otomi personally greeted Cortes. He offered tortillas white hens roasted and stewed chicken eggs and prickly pears. After the Calacoayan massacre Cortes’ army remained in Teocalhueyacan for days. They then departed for Tlaxcala and the Battle of Otumba. Teocalhueyacan was freed from Aztec rule. It’s possible that Teocalhueyacan’s inhabitants even fought alongside the Spaniards in later battles. Today nothing remains of the original settlement. The exact location of its teocalli is unknown. However the construction of a large Franciscan convent in 1550 offers a clue. This Corpus Christi convent became Tlalnepantla’s cathedral. Local Otomi and Nahua artisans built the convent using grey stones. These stones may well have come from Teocalhueyacan’s very own teocalli. Today the Manzana de Roma shopping center stands near the area where Teocalhueyacan once thrived a reminder of this lost Otomi town and its crucial role in the conquest of Mexico. Teocalhueyacan’s story continues to fascinate and mystify us. Its legacy is woven into the fabric of this land. Remember its name and its significance next time you walk these very streets.