Huey Tlatoani (or Great Speaker, also spelt Uei Tlatoani or Hueyi Tlahtoani) was the Nahuatl title used for the emperor of the Mexica (Aztec). They were rulers of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, and as such became the heads of the Triple Alliance of Tenochitlán, Texcoco and Tlacopan .
The title of Tlatoani has often been explained or translated as 'Aztec emperor', although the succession of Tlatoanis was not passed on by direct inheritence, in contrast to the contemporary custom of, for example, European monarchies. Rather, the Tlatoani was elected by a consensus of the Aztec élite. The Tlatoani was the head of government and the army, and also the high priest of Mexica.
Ténoch, the legendary founder of Tenochtitlan, was the first Tlatoani of the city. He was followed by eleven Tlatoanis in succession, under whom Mexica became a powerful Meso-American state, only to be eventually overcome by internal dissension and the conquistadores of New Spain.
List of Tlatoanis
Puppets under Spanish rule
