The Tlaxcaltecas Were a Mesoamerican civilization settled in the territory that today corresponds to Mexico, specifically the state of Tlaxcala. Its beginnings go back to the thirteenth century and continue until after the sixteenth century.
The Tlaxcaltecas were one of the first organized civilizations of great size. Its capital was the city of Tlaxcala and its Nahuatl .
They lived together with the great Aztec empire , Being the only culture that was not allowed to subjugate. In the sixteenth century, the Tlaxcalans were the most numerous people in alliance with the Spaniards, under Hernán Cortés; Gave them their military strength, helping them in the conquest of other indigenous peoples and in the eventual fall of Tenochtitlan and the Aztecs.
The Tlaxcalan civilization has played an important role in the history of Mesoamerican cultures In different periods, not only during the Spanish conquest, but also much before and after.
History of the Tlaxcalan civilization
The earliest indications prior to the birth of the Tlaxcalan society corresponded from about 1800 BC, when in the Puebla-Tlaxcalan valley some isolated settlements already existed.
The continuous population growth of the region through the centuries managed to start a Tlaxcalan culture closer to the thirteenth century.
They were one of the first populations to implement a construction and organized structure for their cities and towns as they expanded.
During this period agriculture and the exchange of products were its main economic activity.
Tlaxcala, the capital, grew up as one of the first densely populated and organized cities. The adjacent villages began to disappear to adhere to Tlaxcala.
The form of government of the civilization Tlaxcala came to be considered a señorío divided in small municipalities or subregions.
The Tlaxcaltecas continued to expand until the sixteenth century, when, with the arrival of Spanish expeditions, they were the first large city and population with which Hernán Cortes and his soldiers came across.
Records show that before allying with the Spaniards, the Tlaxcalans fought against these, being defeated each time, seeking the negotiation.
Along with the Spaniards, the Tlaxcalans contributed to the conquest and subjugation of other indigenous peoples before arriving and doing the same with Tenochtitlán.
Alliance with the Conquerors
That the Tlaxcaltecas joined the Spaniards proved to many that the Mesoamerican indigenous populations did not have a unified thought regarding an invading and warlike entity.
Despite this episode that has been handled as extraordinary, the results of the campaign of conquest in conjunction with the Spaniards provided a number of privileges and good relationship with the Spanish crown that the Tlaxcaltecas knew how to take advantage of.
They were allowed to establish settlements in other settlements, the ability to possess arms and horses, and the exemption of the payment of tributes to the Crown.
To guarantee its rights and privileges for having helped Spain, the Lienzo de Tlaxcala was one of the most important manifestations.
However, over time, these benefits began to be neglected and ignored, reducing the Tlaxcalans to a category similar to others, and submissive, ethnical.
Social life and economy
There are few records that can clarify how social life developed within the Tlaxcalan cities; How they spent their time outside ceremonial, economic and military activities.
The Tlaxcalan economy was mainly agricultural, at least in the period prior to Spanish colonization, in which they could have access to other resources and ways of commercializing them.
Cultivated and produced the same food order as cultures passed in the same region (corn, chili, squash, sweet potatoes, etc.), complemented by the practice of hunting and consumption of exotic resources brought by means of exchange.
The value of Tlaxcalan agriculture, a meritorious result of being located in arid and difficult territories, influenced other aspects of cultural life.
What little is known of the mechanisms of Tlaxcalan inner life is compared to the forms of life of other ethnic groups during the same period, with more or less characteristics of their own.
As the Aztec subjugation spread through the Mesoamerican territories, the Tlaxcalans began to see their trade routes limited, as a result of their strong resistance to being subdued.
Negotiations with the Aztec ethnic group gave them a false stability, but around them the other peoples became vassals of the latter, being deprived to continue commercial relations and exchange.
Forms of government tlaxcalteca
During the sixteenth century, the Tlaxcalan government was considered as a manor structured within those of cities and towns, much like the Aztec form of government in Tenochtitlan.
Nevertheless, the Tlaxcalans are credited with a somewhat more complex organization and relationship within the government than for the rest of the civilizations of the time.
It was divided into four dynastic regions with its own leader or cacique, who obtained the position by means of family succession. Below these were the main governors, mayors and regidores
The internal representations were competently divided, and there were functional institutions that supported them. Tlaxcala, the capital, proved to manage an efficient political and social system by then.
Even after the conquest, most of the official institutions were carried by highly experienced Indians.
Social and political miscegenation did not negatively influence Aboriginal organization, and even allowed them to expand their presence and magnify their influence in the absence of the Aztec Empire.
With the passage of time, a greater Spanish influence in the following generations, began to implement measures that distorted the native aboriginal system, moving towards more colonial mechanisms.
Values and traditions
The Tlaxcalan culture is recognized for having had a high patriotic value in front of other civilizations of the region.
An attitude that exalted, through his celebrations and non-religious ceremonies, confidence in the coming of his region, his country.
This position, almost nationalistic in modern terms, differentiated them from other communities in different stages: before, in defense of their independence from the Aztecs; Later, as almost unique indigenous community that sought to take advantage of the privileges of a position favored under Spanish rule.
References
- Baracs, A. M. (1993). Tlaxcaltecas colonizations. HMex, 196-245.
- Camargo, D.M. (1892). History of Tlaxcala. Mexico: Office of the Secretary of Development.
- Gibson, C. (1953). Meaning of the history of Tlaxcala in the sixteenth century, (pp. 592-599).
- Jácome, A. G. (2003). Culture and agriculture: transformations in Mexican agriculture. Ibeoamerican University.
- Kelly, I. (2014). Folk Practices in North Mexico: Birth Customs, Folk Medicine, and Spiritualism in the Laguna Zone. University of Texas Press.