Tlatoani

Tlatoani (Classical Nahuatl:tlahtoāni [t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːni], plural tlahtoānimeh [t͡ɬaʔtoaːˈnimeʔ]; variant tlahtohqui [t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔki], plural tlahtohqueh [t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔkeʔ]) ( Is the person who has permission to speak for the people ) is the Nahuatl term for the ruler ( "ruler" is a English word that doesn't mean the same in Nahuatl ) of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A cihuātlahtoāni ([siwaːt͡ɬaʔtoˈaːni]) is a female ruler, or queen regnant.