Lienzo de Tlaxcala: Depictions of War

The second portion of the Lienzo De Tlaxcala shows the Conquest of the Aztecs from the Tlaxcalan perspective. The Tlaxcalan perspective of events emphasizes native involvement even more than that of the Aztecs. Almost every image shows the Tlaxcalans marching and fighting alongside the Spanish. This representation of heavy involvement on their own part shows the Tlaxcalan's great pride in the crucial aid they provided to the Spanish. It also visualizes the great social shift the Tlaxcalan's underwent under Spanish rule. Once a subordinate kingdom of the Aztecs, the Tlaxcalan's became the proverbial "favorite son" of the Spanish in Mexico. Rather than the great calamity of the Aztecs, the Tlaxcalan's idolized the arrival of the Spanish and were proud of the part they played in aiding Cortez.