Tlaxcaltecas

Xicotencatl the Elder paced around his palace in Tizatlán. The situation in Tlaxcala - the confederation of Ocotelolco, Quiahuiztlán, Tepeticpac and Tizatlán - was becoming untenable. Years earlier, they thought that together they could deal with their enemy. Ever since the Aztec triple alliance was made to create that empire to the West it had been nothing but trouble. You’d think they were the only Toltecs around. In fact, according to Xicotencatl’s own wise men, Tlaxcalans also had plenty lot of Toltec blood in them, and Tlaxcalan poetry was so much better.. it was obvious who were the better artists. These upstarts were just invading anybody with higher education than them, and intermarrying them to pretend they ran the culture. They may have burned all books in the empire to get rid of the truth, but he had his sources and his own oral tradition. His people still remembered.
As much as Xicotencatl hated the Aztecs, he had to admit their empire was effective, and Tenochtitlán, their largest city, was a fearsome adversary; it was not only the skill of their warriors, but the sheer size of their main city. Often he would bring in his advisors - led by his son - and run scenarios for an counter-invasion led by his triple alliance - there was plenty of discontent with the status quo, even outside his realm - but even if they could, controlling an angry city of 300,000 people was well beyond their capabilities, despite what his hothead son Xicotencatl the Younger thought. And of course he was not going to be uncivilized enough to kill enemy warriors. They had to be captured and brought to temple like civilized people did. But just the logistics of controlling the enormous population and running the ceremonies to give the hearts of their warriors to the Gods made the proposition laughable.
Despite this, they had come up with a pragmatic plan that would be effective if they could just solve the crazy logistics; his cities were net providers of goods instead of importers like those of the Tenochcas[^cf19], so he could offer lower taxation to their client states because he didn’t need the goods (a big advantage of avoiding those cities getting so large). It was in fact the only plan that could work - since the rule of Moctezuma I, Tlaxcalan access to the sea was cut, so no trade with Taínos[^cf20] (as little as they traded as it was). And they had also had cut access to the North and South, so trade with Mayas or Zapotecs was possible either. As a result, poverty and scarcity was rampant for his proud people. His own warriors were starting to grumble about his rule. Something would have to give, and soon.
Now he was surrounded in all directions by Aztec forces, and the Aztecs would force them into these invasive and superstitious flower wars, which did nothing to help either side, only to appease the Gods. And of course the gods help you if you didn’t let the Aztecs win. It was a good thing that he started going around the Aztec’s back - he had been developing new battle techniques in secret, as well as holding back the best warriors for years now, taking advantage of the fact that the Aztec army hadn’t actually invaded them yet. Self-rule has its privileges, even if it isn’t complete independence. If it came down to a real battle, his best warriors would surprise them. Maybe scare them enough to break the blockade.
But for now he had to let the status quo continue and pay them the tribute, as much as he resented it - he had enough trouble protecting his own empire and the cities around him, as well as the many noble rulers that had been forced into exile and he had provided refuge for. It was not worth causing trouble. He was still glad to keep those plans around though - you never new what the gods would bring tomorrow.