Huitca Federation

Tlahatl is a city situated on the island of Cuiciloa in the Phagosian Sea next to the continents Ummarnu, Vastallos, and Syltör, and is the city-state making up the Altepetl of Tlahatl. The city was founded by the Rathnir-native Huitca people. Tlahatl was briefly a territory of the Valdreach Imperial Republic, and formerly held a seat in the nation's Circle of Speakers. Tlahatl is 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.

October - The Beginnings
On October 3, 2020, the city of Tlahatl was founded by Infinick, although the land wasn't claimed until the next day.

The city joined the Valdreach Imperial Republic (VIR) as a territory on October 7, 2020, mainly for protection and glory.

The city hosted the World Summit Tlahatl on October 13, 2020 in the Conference and Diplomacy Building.

Early October 15, 2020, just past midnight in fact, Tlahatl was visited by 3 armed fighters from the cities of Neos Knossos and Carvay. They sought vengeance for the apparent disrespect shown by Tlahatl's entry into the VIR. This dispute was settled by the The Treaty of the Phagosian Seas, signed in Carvay's capital, where the VIR agreed to not claim any more lands in the region.

On October 16, 2020, the city was visited by its patron god Tlahatepa once again, he had not been seen since the founding of the city. He appeared above the Grand Temple before standing on top of Knossos Fountain, turning the fading yellow-dyed terracotta into solid gold. Tlahatepa has not been seen since.

In the evening of October 18, 2020, after werewolf-diseased menaces began popping up all over Rathnir, Tlatoani Infinick decided that the threat posed by these violent and sick people was insurmountable, and therefore decided to permanently banish all werewolf-disease infected persons from entering Tlahatl.

At the time of 5:12 PM EDT on October 20, 2020, after days of negotiations, President Noodles of the VIR informed the Tlatoani that they had officially accepted Tlahatl's request for independence from the VIR. Celebrations broke out throughout Tlahatl, and the date was officially cemented as a national holiday. On the same day, the Altepetl of Tlahatl was declared, and the Tlatoani signed the Treaty of Carvay that formed the VAWR.

On October 21, 2020, at 2:08 AM EDT, the Vastallosi Alliance of Western Rathnir (then named the Vastallos Coalition) was proclaimed to the world, after a week of secret negotiations. Tlahatl was previously incapable of joining due to its status as a territory of the VIR, however after independence, the Tlatoani signed the Treaty of Carvay immediately, just hours before the Alliance was proclaimed to the world.

On October 23, 2020, Spacebeing_J (Mr. Gnorts on discord, then named John_Alien) joined Tlahatl, and was appointed the 1st Cihuacoatl of Tlahatl by the Tlatoani. He was granted the rank of Calpolli (Noble) due to his willingness to help build up a small nation from scratch. Due to a lack of Grand Assembly members, no vote took place. Proper elections for the second Cihuacoatl will take place when enough Grand Assembly members exist for a proper vote.

On October 29, 2020, Spacebeing_J was suddenly ambushed and attacked by GreenTomato5 in Ardat Mosul while contracted on construction. Soon after, Tlatoani Infinick joined a group of warriors led by Calipha Dalatra in order to take revenge for the attack. In Sewer Mafia HQ, they relentlessly attacked GreenTomato5 until they got bored and left. They then met in Tlahatl to discuss future actions against Sewer Mafia. This would be the beginning of The Viper War.

November - The City Grows
Tlahatl celebrated its first month anniversary of its existence on its very first Founding Day on November 3rd, 2020. At 4PM EST, Tlatoani Infinick sacrificed a cow to the God of the North Cualitzin, in order to honor and thank her for guiding the Huitca people to their eternal home and seat of power Tlahatl, and in order to prevent Cualitzin from getting angry and throwing the world out of balance.

On November 18, 2020, Calipha-Empress Dalatra reached out to Tlatoani Infinick about holding a peace conference to resolve Yimmu-Audal & a rebellious faction's independence dispute. At the World Summit Table in Tlahatl, the two sides and their allies negotiated the 2nd Treaty of Tlahatl, preventing Yimmu-Audal from descending into a potentially devastating civil war. On November 20, 2020, Tlahatl celebrated the first anniversary of its independence from the VIR. Before the Independence Day celebration began, Tlatoani Infinick was preparing a sheep for sacrifice when it suddenly began levitating off the ground. That sheep is now known as the floating sheep of Tlahatl.

The nation welcomed 2 new citizens on November 25th, 2020. These citizens, Jane_the_Bane and Zanggiloxe, were granted the rank of Calpolli (noble), due to their willingness to commit to building the small nation of Tlahatl into a greater one.

On November 27, 2020, Tlahatl officially announced the long-planned expansion of its territorial claims to include most of the neighboring island of Phagos. These lands had long been seen as Tlahatl's frontier and within its sphere of control by both the nation and its allies, but this announcement made their annexation official. The nation's claims were made so as to not interfere with the Escharien colony of Fernheim, which Tlahatl now directly borders. The Tlatoani and his nobles plan to establish new cities on Phagos once Cuiciloa becomes too cramped.

Foundational Myth
To read the founding myth of Tlahatl click here.

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 and constructing the canals and large roads that will soon define the identity of the city, and renovating the buildings of state into various city service buildings.

Governing Structure
The city's head of state is a monarch known as a Tlatoani (in English King or Speaker). The current ruling dynasty is an unbroken like 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 (in English Prime Minister, Chancellor, or Assistant). 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. Due to Tlahatl having a constitution, the Tlatoani and the Cihuacoatl are required to report their activities to the city citizens for scrutiny, and weekly Grand Assembly meetings are held so that the heads of the city can hear the grievances of the people. The Grand Assembly is the name for the legislative body of Tlahatl, its name is derived from the fact that it is a grand assembly of all citizens of Tlahatl. Certain positions are also appointed into office by the Tlatoani and Cihuacoatl, with consent and approval from the Grand Assembly, to manage other aspects of the city, like economics, religion, and warfare.

Current Leadership
Tlatoani: Infinick

1st and Current Cihuacoatl: Spacebeing_J (Mr. Gnorts)

Huitca Culture
The people of Tlahatl excel at the practices of commerce and diplomacy, using their position as a bridge between the East and West to their advantage. Tlahatl's people are also architecture enthusiasts and terraforming masters, performing their work masterfully as they transform a wild forest into a sprawling city-scape. Tlahatl's buildings are mainly constructed from sandstone and terracotta, the preferred materials of the Huitca people, which are imported from mainland Ummarnu. The people of Tlahatl 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.

Tlahatl is as rich in tradition as it is in culture. As a symbol of their values of loyalty and honor, Tlahatlans 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. Tlahatlans celebrate Founding Day on the 3rd of each month, to celebrate their land and the founding of their great city. On this day, Tlahatlans 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, Tlahatlans celebrate their Independence Day, celebrating the day the Altepetl of Tlahatl was declared. They party in the streets and sacrifice a sheep to the city patron god Tlahatepa. Tlahatl also has an election day every other Saturday, electing a new Cihuacoatl into office.

Religion
The people of Tlahatl 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.

To read in detail about the religion of Tlahatl, visit this page: Cardinalism.

Literature
Tlahatl has a small (but growing) 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 is facilitated by The People's Publishing Company, a state-owned publishing house dedicated to promoting Huitca culture and fostering literacy among its people.