Huitzihuitl, the second Aztec king, took the daughter of the conquered king as his bride. Moctezuma the First resulted from this marriage and governed the Aztecs from 1440 to 1469 during which time he ordered extensive landscaping projects on the land of his mother's forebears.

After conquering Tenochtitlan, Cortes married the daughter of Moctezuma II and was named the Marques del Valle de Oaxaca as a prize for the role he played in the Conquest. Cocoyoc formed part of this extensive land holding and was soon planted with sugar cane and other cash crops. A large hacienda developed as the manor for the area.