30 May 2025 / 10 House
Article suitable for older students
Find out moreWhat does (my) name Cuitlahuac mean?
ORIGINAL QUESTION received from - and thanks to - Cuitlahuac Gonzalez: I hope that you might be able to help me. I’m 23 years old and I don’t really have a clear understanding of the meaning of my name, which I think is pretty pathetic on my part. Every time I visit Mexico, I seem to get a different meaning. I know that Cuitlahuac was emperor for only a short period, but during this time he lead the massacre of ‘La Noche Triste’ but I would like to know more of the details. For example, was there a symbol or an element associated with Cuitlahuac? Is there any direct translation, a meaning that this name takes on (I’m hoping for Almighty Powerful God!)? How is the name written in Nahuatl? And any other information you might have will definitely be helpful. I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to read my inquiry and hope that you are able to help. (Answered by Julia Flood/Mexicolore)
Cuitlá|hua|c
.Cuitla. – .n. cuitlatl - excrement, residue, or a growth. (.A. - n. atl - water)
.Hua. - possessive .C. - describes location, ‘where’.
“Where those who have cuitlatl are”
Possibly, “Where those who have cuitlatl in the water are”.
Although many people might think that the name Cuitláhuac reflects negatively upon its bearer, they couldn’t be more wrong! Remember, Cuitláhuac was a respected and trusted Aztec emperor; his name would have paid tribute to his high position in society. From our study of other Náhuatl words, we can conclude that cuitlatl, or excrement, was often linked to precious items:-
Teotl (god/divinity) + Cuitlatl = Teocuitlatl (gold)
Iztac (white) + Cuitlatl = Iztaccuitlatl (silver)
The name glyph shown in Picture 2 is the sign for excrement, which was often symbolically linked with the earth. This sign helps to indicate that Cuitláhuac’s name has more to do with excrement than to the vegetation or gold that other translators have mentioned.
Cuitláhuac’s rule
Cuitláhuac was the eleventh son of the former Aztec emperor, Axyácatl, and a king who was very close to his elder brother and
predecessor, Moctezuma. Before ascending the throne of Tenochtitlan, he was king of the nearby kingdom of Iztapallapan. When he came to power, on the Aztec day of 8 Wind, Moctezuma was still alive but imprisoned by the Spanish within one of his own palaces. It’s reasonable to believe that he headed the onslaught against the Spanish following Moctezuma’s death. This was one of the greatest displays of resistance shown by the Aztecs, who managed to kill many of their rivals that attempted to flee the city with heavy gold loot. Cuitláhuac’s election, a process traditionally performed after an old emperor’s death, indicates that the Aztecs had lost faith in Moctezuma. Their decision came too late, however, as Cuitláhuac’s initial triumph in battle was quickly followed by a tremendous and lengthy onslaught by the Spanish and their allies. By then, Cuitláhuac had fallen ill with smallpox. He died on December 3rd, 1520,*
*The dates of Cuitláhuac’s ascension and death are quoted from Alvarado Tezozómoc’s “Historia Mexicáyotl”.
Cuitláhuac was the 10th emperor to govern the vast territories dominated by the Aztecs. Alas, he was never able to fully enjoy the pleasures of his status, having instead to face the chaos provoked by the arrival of Hernán Cortés and the Spanish conquistadors. Described as courageous and full of spirit, Cuitláhuac died eighty days after his coronation, leaving the ill fated and final Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc, as his successor...
CUITLAHUAC FACT FILE
Ascension: 16th September, 1520.
Length of reign: 80 days.
Cause of death: Smallpox.
Father:King Axayácatl.
Brother: Moctezuma Xocoyótzin.
Mother: Aztec noblewoman, daughter of the King of Iztapallapan.
Children: Five children who maintained their status as nobles after the Spanish conquest. Three of their names are recorded: Alonso Axayaca Ixhuetzcatocatzin (governor of Iztapallapan), Doña Ana and Doña Luisa.
What really won the war against the Aztecs? Read about the illness that claimed Tenochtitlan...
Cuitláhuac was amongst the first Aztecs to fall prey to smallpox, an illness that until recently continued to kill people all over the world. Fray Bernadino de Sahagún, a sixteenth century Franciscan monk in Mexico, described the havoc it wreaked on the indigenous population:-
“He [Cuitláhuac] was taken by a pestilence that had never before been known to Mexico or any of the lands nearby. It affected peoples’ faces because it made many holes in them. So many people died that not enough graves could be made in time. Their dead bodies were piled together, which caused a great stink.”
The smallpox virus was carried to Mexico by a soldier who sailed in Captain Pánfilo de Narváez’s crew. Soon it spread past the Mexican borders to Central and South America. Its presence was felt in the Incan highlands before Velazquez ever arrived.
Sources:-
• Molina, Fray Alonso de “Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana”, preliminary study by Miguel León Portilla, 4th edition, Editorial Porrúa, 2001, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Sahagún, Fray Bernadino de “Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España”, Prologue by Angel María Garibay, 6th edition, Editorial Porrúa, 1985, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Smith, Michael E. “The Aztecs”, 2nd edition, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 1996.
• Tezozómoc, Alvarado, “Historia Mexicáyotl”, UNAM, 1986, Mexico City, Mexico.
Pictures:-
• Pic 1: Photo by Ian Mursell
• Pics 2 & 3: thanks to Julia Flood
• Pics 4 & 5: scanned from our own copy of the Club Internacional del Libro 3-volume facsimile edition, Madrid, 1994
Comments (12)
Tom Dirkx
28th Jul 2020
Some people say it was Malinche’s revenge and his real name was Cuautlimoc (Cuautli = Eagle). She just substituted Cuahte (= shit) when she translated for Cortes. She was held as a slave by the Aztex and hated them so this was her ‘revenge’.
Aleksandr Sigalov
11th Mar 2019
I think the name means “where there is fertilized water” or “where there are those who have fertilized water”. So those who bear this name are NOT “shits”, they are actually “fertilizers”. Good stuff. This is consistent with the glyph presented on the page which is clearly a flower growing from a fertilized soil or maybe water.
Mexicolore
Thanks. See our answer to Michael below...
Cuitlahuac Martinez Rdz
20th Dec 2016
Newest studies of our name Cuitlahuac.. found a really meaning :
Sol sediento de Sangre.
Sun thirsting of Blood.
All the Tlatoanis has a name dedicated to the Sun.
Mexicolore
Thanks for sharing - interesting!
Michael
21st Oct 2016
‘Cuitlahuac’, your Aztec-origin name means ‘shit’. Why would your parents impose that burden on a child? How ghastly.
Mexicolore
Cuitlatl in Nahuatl also means ‘algae’, so in this context the name Cuitlahuac gives ‘Where There Is Algae in the Water’, referring to the famous edible blue-green algae that grow in part of Lake Texcoco - that we know as the superfood Spirulina. Definitely a superior reading of the name!
Cuitlahuic
14th Jan 2015
Hello my name is Chloe of course it is a nickname My full name is Cuitlahuic I see others spell it in a different manner my parents are Spanish and called me this name Im guessing they changed it up a little to make it sounds more femane since I am a girl. Just wanted to know if there was any signs accosiated with the name. My parents had told me that the sign was a eclipse strat over allinegnd with a pyramid. Don’t know if it’s true or not but I just want to know if there is any signs accosiated with the name.
Cuitlahuac Rosales-Cervantes
10th Feb 2011
On 1/26/11, Ilhuikamina wrote that my name actually meant master agriculturist that helped produce many gardens, chinapas, that help sustain many and this knowledge and science, is this true?
Mexicolore
You can probably tell from Julia’s article here that the literal meaning of the name is much more limited; however Ilhuikamina is adding a poetic interpretation that could have some validity, in that, in pre-Hispanic times (as Brooke noted below), Cuitlahuac was an island village near Lake Chalco. In Rudolf van Zantwijk’s words ‘It was a chinampa village and remained so until recent times. Cuitlahuac occupied a special status in the Aztec empire, because an aristocratic family who lived there, the Tzompan, was supposed to have descended from Mixcoatl [tribal god of the Cuitlahuacas]. It also appears that Cuitlahuac’s calendrical system had predominated for some time in central Mexico, which indicates a long period of strong administrative influence... The early importance of Cuitlahuac is also apparent from the fact that in its foundation legend it is called Tollan-Cuitlahuac... “Official” history has almost ignored the role this city played in the Aztec past...’ (from ‘The Aztec Arrangement’). In summary, the association of the name with a thriving and important chinampa settlement from pre-Hispanic times is highly plausible.
ilhuikamina
26th Jan 2011
if you don’t know the ancient language, cosmology,philosophy,idiosyncrizes, how they view the world, different than the eurocentirc perspective , then we are left to believe false ideas. we are led to believe incorrect interpretions. how would they think to be an honor to be called chit fertilizer. the correct meaning is that he was a master agriculturist that helped produce many gardens,chinapas, that help sustain many and this knowledge and science was very much appreciated and honored, thus he was given that honor, the name implies in a poetic way the one that transforms the earth to produce abundance .hechenle ganas mi gente adelante siempre y nunca patras.tiahui
Xilotl
4th Oct 2010
While in Mexico early this year, I found out my maternal grandmothers last name is Xilotl. I am launching a non-profit academy of dance and “Xilotl” will be part of the name. I have researched the name but am not satisfied with the definition of: “mazorca de maiz”. Can you give me more information on Xilotl please? Thank you in advance.
Mexicolore
It seems this is the pretty much the truth; we’ve consulted 7 Náhuatl dictionaries in our resource centre and the 5 that mention Xilotl refer to the unripened/tender ear of corn (as opposed to ‘elotl’ which is the ripened equivalent). It seems a nice enough name to us!
brooke
8th Aug 2010
Cuitlahuac was also an important chinampa town. I think the link to fertilizer and growth can’t be ignored. the Aztecs often linked decay with death in cycles of rebirth.
Cuitlahuac Sanchez
18th Mar 2010
Well hi my full name is cuitlahuac Sanchez but they call me Kiwi for short and i have a brother named Cuahutemoc, he’s going to be 16 in july and i’m going to be 13 in june; my mom told me my name is an aztec emperor’s name the story is that cuitlahuac and cuahutemoc had a secret and another tribe wanted to know it but cuitlahuac and cuauhtemoc never gave it up so they killed cuauhtemoc by burning his legs but cuitlahuac died by the flu and thats what my mom told me so i hope that helps dont contact me by e-mail it doesnt work, if u want call me at 5098305713.
Cuitlahuac Rosales-Cervantes
17th Dec 2008
Thank you for this information. I love your website and have saved it in my favorites.
Cuitlahuac Gonzalez
10th Apr 2008
I am incredibly grateful for the time which you have dedicated to this question of mine. I am pleased to have a better understanding of my name now. Thank you. Cuitlahuac
Mexicolore
You’re more than welcome, Cuitlahuac. Thanks again for giving us permission to include your question in our ‘Ask Us’ section.
Every good wish for the future. Keep in touch!
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