Huitca Federation

The Huitca Federation (hoo-EET-kah) is a nation on the Phagosian islands of Cuiciloa, Tonatiuh, Ocotlan, and Tepetl in the Phagosian Sea, the majority of Ummarnu, and a little section of Syltör. It is named for the Huitca people, a native people of Rathnir who live on the Phagosian islands and make up the nation. The official language is Huitcan. Its capital city, Tlahatl, was founded by the first Huitca people, and was previously the center of the Altepetl of Tlahatl, the city-state that became the Federation. Tlahatl as a city-state as was briefly a territory of the Valdreach Imperial Republic, and formerly held a seat in the nation's Circle of Speakers. Tlahatl as a city-state was also a founding member of the Vastallosi Alliance of Western Rathnir, and while the city didn't sign the treaty initially, it signed before the Alliance was officially proclaimed. The Huitca Federation is now a founding member of the Allium Alliance, alongside Bardonia and Niedea.

Foundational Myth
The Foundational Myth tells the legend of the Founder, the first Tlatoani of the Altepetl of Tlahatl, and his quest to find a home for the Huitcan people.

Construction
Tlahatl's construction began when the founder carved out their cave in a small hill. From there, the Huitca people began work on their great temple, tearing down that original hill and building the Temple of the Huitca in its place. From there, the Huitca built the city center and the buildings of state. Right now, they are terraforming their island, constructing the canals and large roads that will soon define the identity of the city, renovating the buildings of state into various city service buildings, and constructing proper housing for all its residents.

Governing Structure


The nation's head of state is a monarch known as a Tlatoani (Emperor). The current ruling dynasty is an unbroken line allegedly going all the way back to the founder himself. The Tlatoani serves as both the political and religious head of the Huitca people. This monarch traditionally appointed an assistant to run day-to-day affairs, known as the Cihuacoatl (Prime Minister). Now, however, the Cihuacoatl is elected by the Grand Assembly in a popular vote. The Tlatoani and the Cihuacoatl share their duties in running the city, although the Tlatoani still outranks the Cihuacoatl. The Tlatoani and the Cihuacoatl are required to report their activities to the city citizens for scrutiny, and Grand Assembly meetings are held often in Tlahatl so that the heads of the nation can hear the grievances of the people. The Grand Assembly is the name for the legislative body of the Huitca Federation, its name is derived from the fact that it is a grand assembly of all citizens of the nation. Certain positions are also elected into office by the Grand Assembly, to manage other aspects of the city, like economics, religion, and warfare. The citizens of the nation are currently creating a constitution, in order to cement this structure.

Current Leadership

 * Tlatoani: Nyk'los
 * 7th and current Cihuacoatl: Cihuacoatl Quauhtli
 * 6th and current cabinet: Chief Smudge (warrior); Chief Lily (diplomat and interior); Chief Welio (finance); Chief Veread (councilor)

Settlements

 * Phagosian Islands
 * Tlahatl (capital)
 * Coyton
 * Erenova
 * Nordpfalz
 * Oceanta
 * Ostpfalz (destroyed)
 * Pfalz Zentrum
 * Südpfalz
 * Tepetl Ranch
 * Vont
 * Westpfalz
 * Yama Inari historical site (seceded)


 * Ummarnu
 * Aroxizaun
 * Vanguard Isle (head quarters of the Vanguard of Free States Alliance)
 * Farafin
 * Ildaréa
 * Othinia
 * Quagero City
 * Regnum
 * Xipitl
 * Zoquiyo Outpost


 * Syltor
 * Chichiltik (abandoned)

Culture


The Huitca people excel at the practices of commerce and diplomacy, using their position as a bridge between the East and West to their advantage. The nation's people are also architecture enthusiasts and terraforming masters, performing their work masterfully as they transform a wild forest into a sprawling city-scape. The capital Tlahatl's buildings are mainly constructed from sandstone and terracotta, the preferred materials of the Huitca people, which are imported from mainland Ummarnu. Meanwhile, the forts on the island Ocotlan are constructed mainly of cobblestone. The Huitca people are friendly, and are always welcoming of new citizens who wish to immigrate to their growing city. The Huitca prefer peaceful negotiations, but are not afraid of combat. They value glory a lot, and they value heroic stories to pass on to future generations. They often collect artifacts from wars and large events to display in their capital.

The Huitca are as rich in tradition as they are in culture. As a symbol of their values of loyalty and honor, and in tribute to their Tlatoani, who decends from the unbroken Chimalli dynasty, Huitca always wear their shield with their cities' banner on their side. Such shields are also given to foreign dignitaries as a symbol of this loyalty and honor. The Huitca celebrate Founding Day on the 3rd of each month, to celebrate their land and the founding of their great city. On this day, Huitca party, drink and dance the night away, before sacrificing a cow in honor of the god Cualitzin, the guardian of the the land and the overworld, before midnight. On the twentieth of each month, Huitca celebrate their Independence Day, celebrating the day the Altepetl of Tlahatl was declared, and independence from the VIR was achieved. They party in the streets and sacrifice a sheep to the city patron god Tlahatepa. The Federation also holds elections on the 20th of each month to elect a new Cihuacoatl and new chiefs of state into office.

Religion


The Huitca people are peace-loving folks similarly to many of the other cities in Tlahatepa's direction, but they are not afraid of battle. The Huitca have long followed the Cardinalist religion. Followers of this religion worship the four main deities, guardians of the cardinal directions and the realms of the universe. As part of their faith, followers are expected to perform ritual acts in honor of the Gods. If one of the Gods gets angry at the disloyalty of the people, the god may abandon their duties as guardian, destroying the sacred balance of the directions and throwing the world into chaos. Such acts include the sacrifice of a cuahuacapra to the god Cualitzin on Founding Day, breeding of sheep to the god Tlahatepa on Independence Day, sacrifice of pigs to the god Xoalcoatl before a long trip through his Underworld realm, and a volunteer human sacrifice to the god Meclahua on the eve of battle.

Literature
The Huitca Federation has a small collection of books documenting its unusual ecosystem, as well as Huitca myths and values. The first book written in Tlahatl was "Tlahatl's Fauna" by Juan Chicoyolloani. This body of work was facilitated by the People's Publishing Company, a state-owned publishing house dedicated to promoting Huitca culture and fostering literacy among its people, but after the closure of the PPC in February 2021, all Huitca literature falls under the ownership of the Huitca Federation Government, and is managed by the Chief Of Finance.