Cosijopii I

Who was Cosijopii I?

Cosijopii I was the last sovereign king of the Zapotec, an indigenous Mesoamerican people. Succeeding his father Cosijoeza to the throne in 1529, Cosijopii moved his capital from Zaachila to Tehuantepec at some point in the mid-sixteenth century. The Zapotec areas of Oaxaca were under his command when the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado arrived in Tehuantepec. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Cosijopii I subsequently "embraced the Catholic Faith," apparently turning control over his kingdom to the Spanish.

He later built the Convent of Santo Domingo in Tehuantepec.