Fighting over Land and Water: Santiago Tlatelolco and Azcapotzalco in the Late Sixteenth Century

This paper examines a lawsuit that took place in the 1560’s between the communities of Azcapotzalco (Tecpanecs) and Santiago Tlatelolco (Tlatelolcas) over natural resources.  In 1561, Tecpanecs and Tlatelolcas fought over the possession of land, a water spring, tule plants, and a fishery.  Both communities claimed that these resources were found within their boundaries.  Conflicts like the one examined in this paper went back to the pre-contact era.  This is not surprising because Tlatelolcas and Tecpanecs inhabited a small region with limited access to drinking water and fertile land. Territorial conflicts between the two groups continued throughout the viceregal period and gave way to very extensive litigation, such as the one discussed here.  The analysis of this lawsuit is important because it suggests to what extent the Nahuas used pre-contact patterns of land tenure and to what degree they used the Spanish legal system to defend their territory.  It also reveals how the political system established between the Tecpanecs and the Tlatelolcas during pre-contact times continued to set a paradigm that could be followed and, at the same time, contested during the colonial era.

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