The Defiance of the Tlaxcalans

According to Aztec legends, seven Náhuatl-speaking tribes migrated from the northwest to what is now central Mexico. One of these tribes were the Tlaxcalans. Over time, from the 1420s until 1519, another Náhuatl tribe came to dominate most of the region and developed the powerful Aztec Empire by subduing neighboring city-states.

By 1519, the Aztec Empire had become a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual realm stretching more than 80,000 square miles throughout central and southern Mexico. Living to the east of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán, the Tlaxcalans inhabited about 200 semi-autonomous villages. The Aztec Empire’s conquests eventually encircled the Tlaxcalans, and the economic isolation inflicted deprived the Tlaxcalans of many goods. In time, the fiercely independent Tlaxcalans became united by their hatred of the Mexica and their allies. Starting in 1450, the Aztecs fought the “Flower Wars” with the Tlaxcalans. These limited battles were fought with certain objectives and not for the purpose of conquest.

When Hernán Cortés and the Spaniards arrived on the East Coast, the Tlaxcalans recognized the potential of Spanish weaponry and – after three fierce battles with the Europeans – decided to ally themselves with the invaders. The Tlaxcalans were eager to exact revenge and would help the Spaniards destroy the mighty Aztec Empire in an extended campaign (1519-1521). In return, the Spaniards awarded the Tlaxcalans special rights and privileges. In fact, the Spanish-Tlaxcalan alliance soon evolved into a “stable, institutionalized pact” in which “Tlaxcala became a state within the empire.”

The Original Náhuatl Tribes of Central Mexico

According to Aztec legends, the seven original Náhuatl-speaking tribes emerged from Chicomostoc (“The Seven Caves”) and settled in Aztlán. From there they began a gradual migration to the southeast, seeking a new place to settle in Central Mexico. The seven tribes were:

1. Acolhua

2. Chalca

3. Tepaneca

4. Tlahuica

5. Tlaxcalteca

6. Xochimilca

7. Mexica

One of these tribes were the Mexica (who would be the dominant rulers of the Aztec Empire). Another tribe, the Tlaxcaltecans, would become their permanent enemies.

The Original Náhuatl Tribes of Central Mexico

According to Aztec legends, the seven original Náhuatl-speaking tribes comprised the following:

1. The Xochimilca -- The first Náhuatl tribe to arrive in the Valley of Mexico, settling around 900 A.D. in Cuahilama, near what is now Santa Cruz Acalpixca (in Mexico City).

2. The Chalca of Chalco -- They were the second tribe to arrive in the Valley. They established themselves east of the Xochimilca about 25 km (16 miles) east of Tenochtitlán.

3. The Tepaneca – They were the third tribe to arrive in the Valley of Mexico in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. They settled on the northwest shore of Lake Texcoco.

4. The Acolhua of Texcoco -- The fourth tribe to arrive in the area, they settled on the northeastern shore of the Lake Texcoco.

5. The Tlahuica -- They were the fifth Náhuatl people to arrive in central Mexico, settling in what is now Morelos.

6. The Tlaxcaltecans (Tlaxcalans) -- They settled to the east of the Valley of Mexico in what is know the State of Tlaxcala.

7. The Mexica -- They were the last of the groups to arrive in the Valley and settling in Tenochtitlán. They eventually became the masters of the Aztec Empire.

Mexica Expansion

Between 1427 and 1519, the powerful Aztec Empire subdued neighboring city-states.

By 1519, the Aztec Empire had become a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual realm stretching more than 80,000 square miles throughout central and southern Mexico.

Faced with the Aztec threat, the Tlaxcaltecans (Tlaxcalans) – living to the east of Tenochtitlán (the capital of the Aztec Empire) – remained defiant. See the gray area on the map labeled “Tlaxcala”.)

Flower Wars (1454-1519)

Starting after 1450, the Aztecs organized ritualistic battles with their rivals. These became known as the “Flower Wars.” When five years of crop failure and severe drought (1450–54) hit the central Mexican highlands, the priests of Tenochtitlán decreed that the gods needed to be appeased with the sacrifice of many men. This allegedly led to the first Flower War and eventually to many more.

The Aztecs and their rival states would set up limited battles where both sides agreed to a set amount of combatants who used only close-combat weapons. The purpose of the Flower Wars was for warriors to practice and display their combat skills while also providing them with the ability to take prisoners for the purpose of sacrifice. The warriors on both sides would gain battlefield experience and would also bring home sacrificial victims.

These ritual battles occurred at different times of the year than the campaigns of conquest that the Aztecs used to expand their empire and were much different in their intent. Initially, the Flower Wars involved the Triple Alliance facing off against rival city-states.

Source: Barry L. Issac, “The Aztec ‘Flowery War’: A Geopolitical Explanation” (Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio).

The Flower Wars With Tlaxcala

A common participant of the Flower Wars was Tlaxcala, the one Náhuatl-speaking people who refused to submit to the Mexica and the Aztec Empire.

In fact, the largest number of flower wars would take place between the Aztecs and Tlaxcala. When Moctezuma II became emperor in 1502, the Flower Wars with Tlaxcala escalated. The flower wars would last for six decades, ending only when Tlaxcala sided with the arriving Spanish in 1519.

The Aztecs maintained an almost perpetual state of war with the Tlaxcalans in order to have a nearby source of victims for the human sacrifices. Their frequent battles represented a convenient way of testing and training the young Mexica warriors. This state of perpetual war was very hateful to the Tlaxcalans and by the time that Hernan Cortés arrived in Tlaxcala, the confederation represented fertile grounds for an anti-Mexica alliance.

The Regions of Tlaxcala

In the early 15th Century, three powerful polities – Tlaxcala, Huexotzinco and Cholula – occupied a fertile area east of Tenochtitlán, as noted on the map. Under Moctezuma I (1397-1469), the Aztecs fought their way east to the Gulf Coast, conquering territories in present-day Veracruz and Puebla. At this time, the Tlaxcalans were engaged in trade with many people along the Gulf Coast. Thus, it is likely that Moctezuma hoped to deprive the Tlaxcalans of this valuable exchange partner. He succeeded. Starting in 1466, Moctezuma I started conquering areas close to Tlaxcala. By 1502, his successors had conquered states north and east of Tlaxcala, completing “a process of encirclement” that cut off the Tlaxcalans from all external trade, thus depriving them of elite goods (gold, feathers and cacao) and utilitarian items (cotton and salt).

Living in the Shadow of the Aztecs

For more than 200 years, the Tlaxcalan nation lived in the shadow of the Mexica and their rapidly expanding Aztec Empire. Their nation evolved into an independent enclave deep in the heart of the expanding Aztec Empire.

Because of the economic isolation inflicted by the Aztecs, the Tlaxcalans had no cotton with which to make their clothes, no salt and no feathers or precious stones.

By 1519, Tlaxcala was a small, densely populated province with a population of about 150,000. Tlaxcala was actually a “confederation of four republics,” ruling over some 200 settlements.

The Spanish Conquest of Surrounding Territories

On April 22, 1519, Hernán Cortés and his Spanish forces dropped anchor near Veracruz on the Gulf Coast of eastern Mexico.

On August 31, 1519, Cortes’ army and his Indian allies from the coastal area encountered a hostile force of at least 30,000 Tlaxcalans.

Tlaxcaltec warriors led by Xicotencatl, the Younger, attacked the Spaniards three times, but the Spaniards triumphed. The Tlaxcaltecan leadership were impressed with the Spanish weapons, armor, horses and dogs. They soon decided to form an alliance with Spaniards to oppose their common enemy: the Mexica and the Aztec Empire.

The Spanish Conquest of Tenochtitlán

In the second half of 1520, Cortés and his indigenous allies began carrying out punitive expeditions against various Aztec garrisons in the area of present-day Puebla. With these victories, many of the indigenous peoples in these areas fell in line with Cortés and joined forces with the Spaniards in their march back to Tenochtitlán. The Conquest of Tenochtitlán. Finally, on August 13, 1521, after several decisive battles and an eighty-day siege, Tenochtitlán surrendered and the Spaniards announced their victory over the Aztec Empire.

In effect, the entire Aztec Empire became part of the Spanish Empire as the new Spanish colony of Nueva España (New Spain). Even in 1520-21, after years of heavy losses of men in combat and in the wake of a smallpox epidemic, Tlaxcala was still able to contribute 30,000 soldiers to the army of Hernán Cortés. In fact, 20,000 of their troops would take part in the final battle of Tenochtitlán.

The Tlaxcalans Accept Christianity

When the Tlaxcalans allied themselves with the Spaniards, the leaders of the four republics accepted Christianity and in July 1520, they were baptized with Spanish names [See the table]

Soon after, other officials in the government were also baptized.

Source: “Tlaxcaletca and Affiliated Tribes of Texas: Timeline Summary: 12th Century to the 21st Century” (2012). Online:https://www.slideshare.net/TlaxcaltecaTed/tlaxcalteca-and-affiliated-tribes-of-texas-2.