Tlaxcala’s Reception of the Conquistadors, 1519

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Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conqueror who led an unsanctioned expedition into mainland Mexico that resulted in the fall of the Aztec conf-ederacy. During his incu-rsion, he expanded his force with Native allian-ces, formally claiming la-nd for Spain to later jus-tify his unofficial actions.

Despite flouting orders, the Crown reward-ed him with the Governorship of New Spain and the Marquisate of the Valley of Oaxaca.

Conquistadors were not “Spanish soldiers” acting on royal orders, but feudal lords led by self-interest. Often depicted as “White Spaniards,” a few of these men we-

Becoming Doña Marina in post-conquest colonial society, she gave birth to Martín Cortés, who embodied the mestizo identity.

Indigenous women in the Tlaxcalan story emerge as potential political and cult-ural bridges between the Native confedera-cy and the Europeans. Tlaxcala’s rulers offe-

Tlaxcala’s Reception of the Conquistadors, 1519Malintzin, or Malin-che, was Cortés’ Nahuatl interpreter—and critical in the Spanish-Native ne-gotiations that led to the overthrow of the Aztec. Being a slave, the Mayangifted her to Cortés at a young age in 1519. Acco-unts note her diplomatic & linguistic skills in mak-ing allies out of enemies.

tlahtoani Maxixcatzin, head of the Ocotelo-lco city-state who favored it. Unwillingly, his son led the Tlaxcalans into Tenochtitlan.

Tlaxcalan natives belonged to a confederacy of city-states—Tepeticpac, Oc-otelolco, Tizatlán, and Quiahuiztlan—near modern-day Tlaxcala. Rebuffing conquest

Xicoténcatl I was the Tlaxcalan tlahtoani, or ruler, of the Tizatlán city-state. He allied the Tlaxcalan confederacy with Cortés’ affront, whi-ch also included Cempo-ala’s Totonacs. Although his son and leader of the warriors, Xicoténcatl II, opposed the alliance, he sided with the Tlaxcalan

This painting depicts Malintzin translating a meeting between Xicoténcatl I and Cortés that resulted in an alliance that would lead to the downfall of the Aztec Empire. Conquis-tadors, Tlaxcalan nobles, and gifts for Cortés surround them. The Native Kingdom of Tlax-cala created this around 1530-40 and sent it to the Spanish Crown as part of a request seeking exemption from taxes given the aid they had offered the conquerors in 1519-21.

Dispelling Conquest Myths1. Native allies—like the Tlaxcalans—and dis-ease toppled the Aztec confederacy, not Eu-ropean technological & cultural ‘superiority’.

2. Conquerors were not exceptional in their colonization approaches. They deployed practices developed since the early 1400s.

3. Spanish colonization was not a done deal with the Aztecs’ fall. It was a long process, with some Native groups never submitting.

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red their daughters inmarriage to cement the alliance. They also gifted other Nativewomen as chattel to attend to Cortés and his men, much like the Chontal Mayan had done with Malintzin in Potonchán earlier.

re of African descent, and most did not con- sider themselves ‘Sp-anish’—they were Ca-stilian, Galician, or Fl-emish, among other regional European id-entities. In Cortés’ ba-nd, there was even a Franciscan friar-priest.

efforts from the Aztec(also an alliance ofcity-states), they were autonomous. They, asother Native groups, were not naive to theintentions of the con-querors, and rulers to-ok the opportunity to further their interests.