Tlaxcaltec

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Tlaxcaltec
Tlaxcaltecatl (singular) Tlaxcalteca (plural)
Catholicism mixed with traditional Nahua religion
Related ethnic groups
Nahuas, Otomi

The Tlaxcallans, or Tlaxcaltecs, are a Nahua people who live in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.

Pre-Columbian history

The Tlaxcaltecs were originally a conglomeration of three distinct ethnic groups who spoke Nahuatl, Otomi and Pinome that comprised the four city-states (altepetl) of Tlaxcallān or Tlaxcala. Each of the four cities supposedly had equal say in this confederation, but eventually, the Nahuatl speakers became the dominant ethnic group. By the time of European contact, the city of Tizatlan was effectively controlling Tlaxcala.[1]

Despite early attempts by the

Triple Alliance. Later wars between the Tlaxcallans and the Aztecs were called xochiyaoyatl (flower wars), as their objective was not to conquer but rather to capture enemy warriors for sacrifice.[2]

Spanish colonial history

Lienzo de Tlaxcala image depicting Tlaxcaltec soldiers leading a Spanish soldier to Chalco
.

Eager to overthrow the Aztecs, their hated enemies for a century, the Tlaxcaltecs allied with

Xicotencatl the Younger
, was prince and heir to the throne.

Conquistador

Ocotelolco to assume power over Tlaxcala.[4]

Due to their alliance with the Spanish Crown in the conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Tlaxcaltecs enjoyed exclusive privileges among the indigenous peoples of Mexico, including the right to carry guns, ride horses, hold noble titles, maintain Tlaxcaltec names and to rule their settlements autonomously. This privileged treatment ensured Tlaxcallan allegiance to Spain over the centuries, even during the Mexican War of Independence, though Tlaxcala did host a strong pro-independence faction.[5]

The Tlaxcaltecs were also instrumental in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, and a significant number of Guatemalan place names, including the name “Guatemala” itself, derive from Tlaxcallan Nahuatl.[6] Tlaxcallan colonists also founded a number of settlements in Northern Mexico (including parts of present-day southeastern Texas), where conquest of local tribes by the Spaniards had proved unsuccessful.[7] They settled areas inhabited by nomadic bellicose tribes (known as the Chichimeca) to pacify the local indigenous groups hostile to the Spanish Crown.

The Tlaxcaltec colonies in the Chichimeca included settlements in the modern states of

Sabinas Hidalgo, in Nuevo León; Villa de Nueva Tlaxcala de Quiahuistlán, today known as Colotlán in Jalisco; and San Esteban de Nueva Tlaxcala in Coahuila, today part of Saltillo
.

Tlaxcaltec officers and soldiers also participated in the

Spanish conquest of the Philippines, with some permanently settling on the islands and contributing Nahuatl words to the Philippine languages.[8]

In return for their assistance in toppling the Aztec Empire and other conquests, in 1534 the governor of Tlaxcala, Diego Maxixcatzin, was granted a personal audience with the King of Spain, Charles V. Tlaxcala is given several special privileges, among them being a coat of arms and the right to petition the king directly to address grievances. Charles also declared that Tlaxcala should answer to no one but himself.[9]

Post-colonial history

Following Mexican independence, from 1885-1911 the Governor of Tlaxcala was Prospero Cahuantzi, himself of native Tlaxcaltec heritage. Cahuantzi promoted the preservation of indigenous Mexican culture and artifacts. He also possessed an indigenous Nahuatl surname, uncommon in post-colonial Mexico but prevalent in Tlaxcala due to their previous alliance with Spain, which protected them from imposed Spanish baptismal names.[10]

As of the 2010 Mexican census, there were estimated to be more than 23,000 Nahuatl-speakers in the state.[11] By 2020, that number had risen to over 27,000.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Charles Gibson (1952), Tlaxcala in the Sixteenth Century, New Haven:Yale University Press, p. 1.
  2. .
  3. ^ Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico[page needed]
  4. ^ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of the memoirs of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true and full account of the discovery and conquest of Mexico and New Spain (vol. 1 of 2)". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  5. ^ "Tlaxcala". HISTORY. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  6. ISSN 1060-9164
    .
  7. ^ Manuel Orozco y Berra, Historia antigua y de la conquista de México[page needed]
  8. ^ "When Tlaxcalan Natives Went to War in the Philippines". Latino Book Review. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  9. ^ "tenochticlan". nativeveterans-en.e-monsite.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  10. . Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  11. ^ Schmal, John P. (2020-07-22). "The Náhuatl Language of Mexico: From Aztlán to the Present Day". Indigenous Mexico. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  12. ^ "Ethnic Identity in the 2020 Mexican Census". Indigenous Mexico. Retrieved 2024-03-16.