To understand the conquest of Mexico we must know the important role that the indigenous allies had in the whole process and that these are not reduced to the tlaxcaltecas , had a great diversity of allies, among them the Tarascans, who came to play such an important role and for this reason are the protagonists of this essay.
The ancient Tarascans
The tarascos They are a native people of the current state of Michoacán , located west of Mexico City. They are a culture whose origin is much debated and it is commonly accepted that they may be a people that comes from Michoacán itself and that did not present the formation of a great state until the fifteenth century, when, unified under the command of the Uanácaze lineage They set out to conquer the lake region of Pátzcuaro, where they established the heart of their great dominion.
The Uanácaze lords they are an offshoot of a larger Tarascan group, known as the Chichimeca-Uacúsecha, a group that split off and competed for control of Lake Pátzcuaro. The Uanácaze, under the leadership of Taríacuri, founded the population of Pátzcuaro and from there began the process of subjugation of the other Chichimeca-Uacúsecha lords. During these conquests they took Tzintzuntzan and Ihuatzio, two towns that at the death of Taríacuri were also elevated to the rank of capital, since the lordship was divided between his nephews Hiripan and Tangánxoan I, and his son Hiquíngaje, who continued with the conquests beyond of the lacustrine region. During the last decades of the fifteenth century, power was once again centralized in the offspring of Tangánxoan I, in his son Zizipandacuare.
This cazonci transferred the powers to Tzintzuntzan and he continued with the conquests in all directions, being recognized as a great warrior. His borders were extended until they ran into the Mexica to the east, and soon the two great militaristic entities of Mesoamerica clashed. Zizipándacuare he defeated two great Mexica expeditions, the forces of the huey tlatoani Axayacatl and later, Ahuízotl, thus establishing an insurmountable border between the two lordships and a staunch rivalry.
Zizipandacuare was succeeded by his son Zangua , also a famous warrior and cazonci with whom the Tarascan lordship reached its maximum expansion and, like his father, defeated a Mexica outpost commanded by Moctezuma II Xocoyotzin , a victory that allowed him to seize some border fortresses from the Mexica. It was a victory that they could not celebrate for long, since the Spanish soon appeared.
The incorporation of Michoacán
In 1521, conquered Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Cortés he focused his attention on the manors neighboring the Mexica dominions and proceeded to incorporate him into New Spain. He soon received news of the existence of the Tarascan lordship, its riches and its strength that rivaled the Mexicas, it did not take long to send explorers and embassies. After the first contacts, the Tarascans also began to send embassies, both seeking more information from the other.
For this moment, the cazonci Zangua He had died due to a smallpox epidemic and was succeeded by his son Tzintzicha Tangánxoan II , who did not have a simple beginning of government. He first had to face the rebellion of the surviving brothers to the epidemic, whom he executed, just as he had to restore his political hierarchy affected by the deaths due to the epidemic. Under these conditions he had to make a decision, confront the Spaniards or seek their friendship, this also caused fractures within the hierarchy that resolved once the decision was made, the peaceful submission to the King of Spain, Carlos I of Austria and that implied the incorporation of a large territory.
Another of the arguments that surely convinced the cazonci of his decision must have been the presence of the Spanish forces of Cristóbal de Olid , which, according to sources, were received in peace and housed in the Tarascan capital, the city of Tzintzuntzan, at the end of July 1522, so that, at some point in the fall of that year, the cazonci traveled to the camp of Cortés and recognized his submission to the King of Spain.
It is debated whether it was really so peaceful or not, the truth is, that the descendants of this cazonci and an entire elite that was linked to this lineage, during the colony defended peaceful submission in favor of obtaining privileges from the crown and maintaining a certain social status within indigenous society, that is, continuing to be recognized as indigenous nobles and the benefits that this implied. The truth is that, thanks to this, a territory as large as the current state of Michoacán was incorporated, as well as some portions of the neighboring states of Jalisco, Guanajuato and Guerrero. Also access to great natural resources and control of an important population that provided warriors, labor and settlers to various Spanish projects throughout the 300 years of existence of New Spain.
The Tarascans and their relationship with the Spaniards
Despite the peaceful submission, it was not a relationship without conflicts and the interests of the Spaniards constantly clashed with the indigenous interests, resulting in some deaths, including that of the Tzintzicha cazonci Tangánxoan II, who being baptized with the name of Don Francisco Tangánxoan he was unfairly prosecuted by Nuño de Guzmán The one who condemned and executed him in 1530. When the cazonci died, his hierarchy remained standing and he had to negotiate with them, just as the continuity of the Uanácaze lineage under the control of the Tarascans was guaranteed for another time, to achieve the agreements, it was important the role of the first bishop of Michoacán, don Vasco de Quiroga .
Putting aside the conflicts, the Tarascans had a very important participation from the beginning, between 1522-1525, they took part in the conquests of Colima and the Michoacán coast, in the pacification of a rebellion in the Pánuco region and contributed soldiers to the Cristóbal de Olid expedition that was to conquer the Hibueras in present-day Honduras. In 1530, forced and violated by Nuño de Guzmán, they accompanied him on his conquest of Nueva Galicia , to the west of Mexico, which even reached as far north as Sinaloa.
Between 1539-1565, the last legitimate descendants of the Uanácaze lineage, the sons of the cazonci, don Francisco Taríacuri and Don Antonio Huitziméngari , were very involved in the explorations towards the Bajío and the mining north. Don Francisco is known to have fought alongside the viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza when he controlled the Mixtón rebellion, while his brother and successor, Don Antonio, between 1551-1553, commanded around 1,200 Tarascans at the beginning of what would become the War against the Chichimeca, which lasted until the end of the 16th century. Don Antonio also supported the founding of towns that would help consolidate the important Tierra Adentro road that connected Mexico City with the mines of Zacatecas and Guanajuato.
In addition to soldiers, once they had pacified the north, the Tarascans supported them with colonists, who, together with the Tlaxcaltecas and Otomíes, served as support in the colonization of the north and as an example for the Chichimeca rebels , so we find populations with Tarascan neighborhoods in the Bajío of Guanajuato or in cities further north such as Zacatecas.
Conclusion
The incorporation of the Tarascans and their lordship was a great support for the Spanish projects, for the reasons already mentioned. Likewise, for the Tarascans it reported some benefit, at least for their elites, who, despite not having obtained the same privileges as the Tlaxcalans, did manage to retain an important status, even the descendants of the cazonci received the position of Indian governors of the city and province of Michoacán, which did not limit its jurisdiction to a single republic of Indians, but this extended over all the Indian towns of the province, having the power to make levies to recruit soldiers, organize the workforce and channel it to the different Spanish construction projects, as well as to do justice in certain cases. An authority that could not be exercised by other indigenous lords, who were subjected to elected positions in the republics of Indians, while Don Antonio Huitziméngari exercised his position as Indian governor of the city and province of Michoacán for 17 years, from 1545 until he died in 1562.
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