TLAXCALLAN - An Indigenous American Republic

About this video

• Video Title: TLAXCALLAN - An Indigenous American Republic
• Channel: Stefan Milo
• Speakers: Stefan Milo
• Duration: 00:20:09

Overview

This video explores the political system of the 16th-century indigenous republic of Tlaxcallan, a predecessor to the modern Mexican state of Tlaxcala. It contrasts Tlaxcallan's unique, non-monarchical, and more collective form of government with typical Mesoamerican city structures and European republican models, drawing evidence from historical accounts by Hernán Cortés and modern archaeology. The video also touches upon the selection and duties of Tlaxcallan's officials and their religious beliefs, particularly their reverence for Tezcatlipoca.

Key takeaways

• Tlaxcallan's Unique Republic: Unlike most Mesoamerican city-states that had centralized, often despotic rulers, Tlaxcallan operated as a republic with a senate composed of officials called teuctli.
• Archaeological Evidence: The material culture and urban planning of Tlaxcallan, characterized by large public plazas and uniform residential areas, suggest a society that prioritized collective spaces and minimized overt displays of individual wealth or power, contrasting with the monumental palaces and tombs found elsewhere.
• Meritocratic Official Selection: The position of teuctli was not strictly hereditary. Individuals could attain this status through military success, good counsel to the senate, or commercial achievement, emphasizing ability over birthright, though noble lineage likely provided advantages.
• Demanding Induction Process: Becoming a teuctli involved a rigorous and humbling process, including ritual piercing, public humiliation, and lengthy temple service with self-deprivation and penance, designed to instill humility and dedication to the state.
• Religious Underpinnings: The reverence for Tezcatlipoca, a deity associated with tricksterism and antagonism towards monarchs in some myths, may have provided a religious and ideological basis for Tlaxcallan's republican ideals and their resistance to centralized, hereditary rule.