Tlaxcaltec leader speaking to conquistador as depicted in History of Tlaxcala by Diego Muñoz Camargo, published in 1590

The Tlaxcaltecs or "Tlacullos" were an indigenous group of the Nahuatl culture that inhabited the area in Meso-America that approximates the territory currently known as the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Tlaxcalla means "place of the tortillas," though the original tribal name was Texcallac. Image File history File links Tlaxcaltec. ... Image File history File links Tlaxcaltec. ... Nahuatl is a native language of central Mexico. ... Tlaxcala is the name of both a state of Mexico and of that states capital city. ...

The Tlaxcaltecs, were an ethnic groups that was never completely defeated or dominated by the Aztecs. The Aztecs alloed them to maintain their independence so that they could participate in ritual warfare with them. The Tlaxcaltecs were instrumental in helping Hernán Cortés reach and invade Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire and thus were key facilitators for the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) (who was known as Hernando or Fernando Cortés during his lifetime and signed all his letters Fernán Cortés) was the conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain. ... Plan of Tenochtitlan (Dr Atl) Mexico City statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan (pronounced ) or, alternatively, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was the capital of the Aztec empire, which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco in what is now central Mexico. ...

Due to their alliance with the Spanish Crown in the conquest of Mexico, the Tlaxcaltecs enjoyed unsurpassed privileges among the indigenous peoples of Mexico, including the right to carry firearms, ride horses, hold noble title and to rule their settlements autonomously.

The Tlaxcaltecs were also instrumental in the establishement of a number of settlements in Northern Mexico, where conquest of local tribes by the Spaniards had proved unfruitful. They were taken to areas inhabited by nomadic bellicose tribes (known as the Chichimeca) to serve as examples for the local indigenous groups of sedentary model subjects of the Spanish Crown and to work in mines and haciendas. The Chichimeca are a group of nomads in northern Mexico. ...

The towns in northern Mexico founded by Tlaxcaltec colonists include Nueva Tlaxcala de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Horcasistas (today known as Guadalupe), Santiago de las Sabinas (today known as Sabinas Hidalgo), San Pedro de Boca de Leones (today known as Villaldama) and Villa de Nueva Tlaxcala de Quiahuistlán (today known as Colotlán. // Location The municipality of Colotlán is located in the northern extreme of the state of Jalisco. ...