Tlaxcala (Nahua state)

Confederacy of Tlaxcala
Tlahtōlōyān Tlaxcallan
1348–1520
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Tlaxcala during the conquest
Capital		Tlaxcala
Languages		Official language: Nahuatl
Religion		Aztec religion
Government		Confederation
Tlatoani of Tlaxcala
•	1348	Culhuatecuhtli
Historical era		Post Classic /Early Modern
•	The Tlaxcalla People Migrate to Central Mexico	1348
•	Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire	1520
Population
•	1348 est.	?
•	early 15th century est.	650,000
•	1519 est.	300,000
Currency		Quachtli, Cacao
Preceded by Succeeded by Tepeticpac Ocotelolco Tizatlan Quiahuiztlan New Spain
Today part of		Mexico

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Tlaxcala (Classical Nahuatl: Tlaxcallān [tɬaʃ.ˈká.lːaːn̥] "place of maize tortillas") was a pre-Columbian city and state in central Mexico.

During the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Tlaxcala allied with the Spaniards against the Aztecs, supplying a large contingent for – and at times the majority of – the Spanish-led army that eventually destroyed the Aztec empire.

Ancient Tlaxcala was a republic ruled by a council of between 50 and 200 chief political officials (teuctli [sg.], teteuctin [pl.]) (Fargher et al. 2010). These officials gained their positions through service to the state, usually in warfare, and as a result came from both the noble (pilli) and commoner (macehualli) classes.

Tlaxcala was never conquered by the Aztec empire, but was engaged in a state of perpetual war, the so-called flower wars or garland wars.

As a result of their alliance with the Spaniards, Tlaxcala had hidalgo privileged status within Spanish colonial Mexico. After the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan and the rest of Mexico, Tlaxcala was allowed to survive and preserve its pre-Columbian culture. In addition, as a reward to the Tlaxcalans unyielding loyalty to the Spanish, the city and its inhabitants largely escaped the pillaging and destruction following the Spanish conquest.

Conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo describes the first battle between the Spanish force and the Tlaxcalteca as surprisingly difficult. He writes that they probably would not have survived, had not Xicotencatl the Elder, and Maxixcatzin, persuaded Xicotencatl the Younger- the Tlaxcallan warleader- that it would be better to ally with the newcomers than to kill them.