El concepto de xochiyaoyotl en el mundo prehispánico según las "Relaciones" de Chimalpahin Cuauhtlehuanitzin

The flowery wars have always been considered as a long-lasting conflict between the Aztec Triple Alliance and the reigns of the Valley of Puebla and Tlaxcala. For years, the "xochiyaoyotl" has been studied as a ritual war extended within time and based on an agreement between the two parts involved. All the theories and primary sources agree with the ritual interpretation, claiming that the purpose of the xochiyaoyotl was to obtain victims to sacrifice to the Gods. However, from the last decades of the twentieth century, thanks to the discovery and translation of new documents, the mere ritual and religious concept of the flowery war has been called into question. The source that gives us the most interesting details about this conflict is the work by the Chalca historian Domingo Francisco de San Antón Muñón Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin. Chimalpahin’s testimony discusses wars called "xochiyaoyotl" that occurred before the reign of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina. These conflicts involved the Chalcas and Tlacochcalcas before the Mexicas. Furthermore, Chimalpahin never mentions sacrifices from the flowery war. When he talks about sacrifices he always refers to the "cocoltic war", which is, according to him, the conquest war. By means of a deep analysis of Chimalpahin’s testimony, this paper aims to question the theory of the invention of the flowery war during the reign of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina and to consider the hypothesis by which the Aztecs made themselves masters of the xochiyaoyotl practice, developing it according to the new political needs of the empire.