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position in which the Tlaxcaltecs and their allies found themselves but also for structural reasons. As the targeted area shrank under the Aztec assaults so, too, did the Tlaxcaltec lines of communications and logistical support, and battles were increasingly fought in their territory, where they enjoyed an advantage in intelligence, resupply, and familiarity with the terrainfactors that simultaneously disadvantaged the Aztecs. |
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At this time Moteuczomah Xocoyotl successfully fought Cuauhnelhuatlan
23 (see maps 19 and 20), following on the heels of a major famine, to which the war's purpose, circumscribed goals, or both, were likely tied.24 |
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The number of campaigns Moteuczomah Xocoyotl carried out in the Huaxyacac region was unprecedented. Several factors may have contributed. First, the increased size of the empire simply offered more opportunities for disruption, and pacifying efforts in any given locale were less likely to have effect beyond the immediate vicinity. Second, the increase in raids may have been necessary after the disastrous reign of Tizoc, despite Ahuitzotl's successful, albeit scattered, conquests in the area. Third, lacking an established, institutionalized, and effective logistical system in the region, plundering by Aztec troops may have occurred and thus have incited greater local hostility. And fourth, the probable new Aztec policy of dispatching a force into the region sufficient to conquer the objective was not politically adequate to control the region after the army's withdrawal. But much of the reason for the repetitive thrusts into the Huaxyacac region was also structural. The number of campaigns increased over time because of their cumulative effect. The earliest campaigns were targeted on specific and circumscribed goals, and during those, potential logistical support, routes, and obstacles were scouted. Then on subsequent campaigns more towns in the area were taken through conquest and intimidation. The earlier campaigns were also used to establish which towns could be convinced to cooperate, which could be coerced, which would have to be forced, and how many troops it would require. But because the imperial system did not demand territorially continuous conquest, areas were subdued in varying degrees and over considerable time, an approach consistent with the Aztec pattern of encirclement and eventual conquest of obstinate areas. Once towns and regions beyond (and throughout) the Huaxyacac area had been conquered, further conquest became easier. The. Aztecs now faced less danger in trying to subdue still unconquered |
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