Major conflict1456 – 1521 · 65 years
Aztec-Tlaxcalan Wars
Aztec Empire and Tlaxcalan Confederacy conducted military campaigns and maintained tense tributary relationships.
Estimated casualties
150Ksingle estimate · no range published
What happened
Aztec emperors expanded into Tlaxcalan territories through military campaigns. Tlaxcalans resisted Aztec tributary demands while accepting selective trade and alliance. Conflicts involved siege warfare and raids. The relationship remained militarily tense despite periods of coexistence.
Why it mattered
Aztec-Tlaxcalan conflicts established the independence Tlaxcalans later leveraged in Spanish conquest. The Tlaxcalan military success presaged their later alliance with Cortés.
Belligerents2
- Aztec Empire
- Tlaxcala
ON THE MAPAztec EmpireTlaxcala
Sources
- Wikipedia — text reused under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Cite as: Aztec-Tlaxcalan Wars (1456 – 1521). War Atlas. https://waratlas.org/c/aztec-tlaxcalan-wars · Sources & methodology