ABSTRACT
The Inquisition trial against Don Carlos Chichimecatecotl, the “Chichimeca Lord” of Texcoco, represents a pivotal moment in the early solidification of Spanish religious and political authority eighteen years after the fall of Tenochtitlan to Cortés. The Lord of Texcoco was personally offended by Francisco and his father’s sympathies with the Spanish friars because Don Alonso was married to his half-sister—in the following testimony, he refers to Don Alonso as “brother.” In Texcoco, kings always selected a son whose mother had the best social status—in this case, a mother who was a member of the Mexica royal family of Tenochtitlan. Therefore, most of the nobility of Texcoco viewed Don Carlos as an illegitimate heir, although Don Pedro worked hard to groom Don Carlos and make him more acceptable before he died. When Don Pedro died in the spring of 1539, Carlos took power.
