When the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortés, arrived in Mexico in 1519, he discovered a great civilization—the Aztec Empire. The empire included almost a million inhabitants and was ruled by Moctezuma II from his great palace on the island city of Tenochtitlan. But the Aztecs weren't the only people living in the valley of Mexico, where Mexico City is found today. There were numerous other kingdoms and city-states, though many of them fell under Aztec rule. Cortés had come to conquer this land for Spain and to convert its inhabitants to Christianity, but in many ways the Aztecs and the other peoples surrounding them possessed cultures that were as sophisticated and learned as those in the kingdom of Castilla in Spain.

The Poet King of Tezcoco tells the story of Nezahualcóyotl, who was an ancestor of Moctezuma II and one of Mexico's greatest rulers. Born in 1402, Nezahualcóyotl came from a family that had ruled the kingdom of Tezcoco for almost 150 years. But his father was murdered when he was sixteen. Enemies conquered the kingdom and then tried to kill the prince. For nine years, he fought to win back his throne, and when he did, he made Tezcoco a dazzling political, intellectual and cultural center.

Nezahualcóyotl formed the Triple Alliance with the kings of Tenochtitlan and Tacuba, and together they became a formidable force. He built impressive palaces, libraries, dikes, aqueducts and gardens, including parts of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. He also established a new legal system and a university. He spent his life trying to persuade the Aztec kings to abandon their practice of human sacrifice. And he wrote beautiful poetry, which has come down to us today from one of his descendants.

In this richly illustrated biography young readers can find out all about Nezahualcóyotl's life—about the battles he fought and the people he loved, about what made him happy and what made him sad, and about the important things he built. The book also includes some of his most famous poems.

From the dust jacket