Tlaxcala

Tlaxcala (Spanish pronunciation: /tlasˈkala/, /tlaɣsˈkala/; Nahuatl: Tlaxcallān; IPA: /t͡ɬaʃˈkal.laːn/), officially the Republic of Tlaxcala (Spanish: República de Tlaxcala; Nahuatl: Tlahtōlōyān Tlaxcallān), is one of the 46 provinces that, together with the Imperial District of Mejico City, comprise the Mejican Empire. It is centrally located and is bordered by Pachuca to the north, Puebla to the east and south, and the Province of Mejico to the west. Tlaxcala is the 2nd-smallest province in the Empire, with a total area of 3,997 km2, the 8th-least populous, with a population of 1.9 million people, and the 3rd-most densely populated province, behind Cuernavaca, the Province of Mejico, and Mejico City. Its capital is located in Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, and its most populous city is San Pablo del Monte, part of the Greater Puebla Metropolitan Area.

Evidence of human occupation in what is now the state of Tlaxcala extends back to 12,000 BC. The Toltecs also had a presence, but the first major native culture here was the Olmec. This civilization fell into decline after 900 AD and was replaced by a sub-group of the Chichimecas. In the 14th century, the Chichimecs were driven out by the Tlaxcalans, a Nahua people. The Tlaxcalan founded the city of Tlaxcala and began to subdue the surrounding peoples. Eventually, the Tlaxcalan nation would evolve into a confederation, presided by a Senate. The Tlaxcalans developed roughly at the same time as other Nahua peoples, the Mexica, who were building the vast Aztec Empire. From the 14th century, these two nations were in a near constant state of war. However, the Aztecs were never able to conquer Tlaxcala.

By the time the Spaniards landed on Veracruz, they were greeted by Totonacs, who were subjects of the Aztecs. They allied with the Spanish, and when Cortés decided to go inland to Tenochtitlan, the Totonacs guided them to other subject peoples who would be willing to ally, including and especially the Tlaxcalans. However, after entering Tlaxcalan territory, the Spanish were met with hostility. The Tlaxcalans fought the Spanish in a number of battles and suffered heavily despite their superior numbers. The Spaniards’ prowess impressed the Tlaxcalan King Xīcohtēncatl Āxāyacatzin, who not only allowed the Spanish to pass through his territory but also invited them into the capital city of Tlaxcala, before forging an alliance. Cortés added 6,000 Tlaxcaltec warriors to his ranks and arrived in Tenochtitlan in November 1519, with the Aztec Empire falling in August 1521.

The Indigenous Tlaxcalans shaped the polity's history for its own advantage, and the four-part organization of the Republic was maintained during the early colonial period. For the most part, the Spanish kept their promise to the Tlaxcalans, and unlike Tenochtitlan and other cities, Tlaxcala was not destroyed after the Conquest. They also allowed many Tlaxcalans to retain their indigenous names, become hidalgos, keep their traditional form of government, and use them as settlers and explorers in northern Mejico, Central America, and the Philippines. One of the major cultural interventions was the evangelization of the region, with Franciscan friars arriving in 1524, and building monasteries and churches. Unlike the rest of Mejico, Tlaxcala was under the direct protection of the Spanish Crown, part of its reward for its support in the Conquest, shielding the Tlaxcalans from the worst of the oppression of the native peoples.

During the colonial period, the Tlaxcalans were successful in keeping the concessions granted to them by the Spanish crown. In 1585, when the territory of Tlaxcala was formally established, it roughly had the same borders as the old kingdom of Tlaxcala. While the neighboring territory of Puebla had some authority over this territory, the city of Tlaxcala remained independently governed until Mejican independence in 1788. However, the Indigenous population who had been living in Tlaxcala was reduced to a small minority. This decline is explained due to epidemics, emigrations, and the construction of a canal that served the Mejican Valley.

For most of post-Independence history, Tlaxcala was part of the Province of Puebla, which used to stretch from what is now northern Veracruz to eastern Chilpancingo. It wouldn't be until 1857 that Tlaxcala became an independent province. Power would change hands back and forth until being consolidated during the Liberal Trentennium, during which Porfirist candidates dominated Tlaxcalan politics. The province benefitted greatly from modernization and industrialization, being near the industrial hub of Puebla City. During the Mejican Civil War, Máximo Rojas was one of the most influential figures within the province, allying himself with the Constitutionalists. The post-Civil War agrarian reform granted land to thousands of minifundists (small-holders).

Tlaxcala's traditional agricultural economic activity has given way, as in many other provinces in the country, to industrialization and the service sector. In the 2006 edition of Mejico's System of National Accounts conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 50% of the province's gross domestic product is made up of the manufacturing industry, with the food and beverage sector and the community, social and personal services sector standing out. The commerce and tourism sectors, as well as real estate and financial services, contribute significantly to the provincial economy. The land transportation infrastructure has been one of the great advantages of the provinces since the beginning of its urbanization. In 2004, it had a road network of 2677 km, and 565 km of railroads.