1983/12/01 by Barry L. Isaac · 3 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Latin American history and culture #Historical Studies in Latin America #Early Modern Spanish Literature
paper · doi:10.1086/jar.39.4.3629865
openalex publication_date 1983/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This article examines the sixteenth-century Hispanic writings on the so-called Flowery War between the Aztec Empire and the Tlaxcala-Pueblan Valley kingdoms (ca. 1455-1519). It argues that modern writers have grossly exaggerated the ritual component and intent of this protracted war, largely through a misunderstanding of the geopolitics of both the Valley of Mexico and the Tlaxcala-Pueblan Valley. The thesis presented here is that the Aztec Empire was simply unable to conquer the Tlaxcala-Pueblan Valley, despite high incentive and heroic attempts to do so.