The Mexica generally allowed the local rulers of the subject provinces to retain their thrones, provided that they paid the tribute and remained loyal to the Mexica state. The system of indirect rule shaped the Mexica imperial system, and it allowed the Mexica to control a vast empire with a relatively small administrative apparatus. The local rulers were usually the same rulers who had governed the territory before the Mexica conquest, and they were often the descendants of long lines of local rulers.
The Logic of Indirect Rule
The system of indirect rule was based on the recognition that the Mexica could not directly govern the vast and culturally diverse empire that they had conquered. The Mexica had a small administrative apparatus, and they did not have the resources to install Mexica governors in every province. The system of indirect rule allowed the Mexica to control the empire through the existing political structures, and it allowed the local rulers to retain their legitimacy in the eyes of their subjects.
The system of indirect rule also had several other advantages. It allowed the Mexica to take advantage of the existing local knowledge and skills, and it allowed the Mexica to focus their attention on the larger strategic issues. The system of indirect rule also reduced the costs of imperial administration, and it allowed the Mexica to maintain a relatively small bureaucracy.
The Treatment of the Local Rulers
The Mexica generally treated the local rulers with respect, and they allowed them to continue to govern their territories. The local rulers were usually the same rulers who had governed the territory before the Mexica conquest, and they were often the descendants of long lines of local rulers. The local rulers were required to come to Tenochtitlan on a regular basis to renew their oath of loyalty, and they were required to send their sons to Tenochtitlan to be educated in the calmecac.
The local rulers had considerable autonomy in the internal government of their provinces. They continued to collect taxes from their own subjects, to maintain their own courts, and to perform their own religious rituals. The Mexica did not interfere in the internal affairs of the subject provinces, provided that the local rulers paid the tribute and remained loyal.
The Limits of Indirect Rule
The system of indirect rule had several limits, and the Mexica were not always able to control the subject provinces through the local rulers. The Mexica replaced the rulers of those provinces that resisted conquest or that rebelled after conquest, and they often installed new rulers who were more amenable to Mexica authority. The Mexica also used a variety of other techniques to maintain control, including the use of military force, the use of diplomacy, and the use of the tribute system itself.
The system of indirect rule was also limited by the resentment of the subject peoples, who often saw the local rulers as collaborators with the Mexica. The Mexica dealt with the resentment by a combination of force, diplomacy, and the redistribution of tribute. The Mexica also used the device of replacing the local rulers, and they often installed new rulers who were more amenable to Mexica authority.
The Legacy of Indirect Rule
The system of indirect rule was a distinctive features of the Mexica imperial system. The system has been compared to similar institutions in other imperial systems, including the Roman system of provincial governors and the British system of colonial administrators.
The Spanish conquest brought the system of indirect rule to an end, and the Spanish imposed their own system of colonial administration. Yet the system of indirect rule has survived in modified form in many parts of Mexico, and it shaped the Mexican political and cultural heritage. The modern Mexican federal system, with its recognition of the autonomy of the states, reflects the long history of indirect rule in Mexico.
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