The game highlights the role of the Tlaxcalan warriors, who allied with Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes, to capture the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan – today Mexico City – on Aug 13, 1521.
When the Spanish landed, the Aztecs were at war with several Mesoamerican peoples, including the Tlaxcalans, who wanted to end their domination.
“Yaopan: A History of the Conquest” revisits the period based on new historical studies, notably of a 16th-century canvas that depicts battles in 87 drawings from the victorious perspective of the Tlaxcalans.
Players can choose from roles such as an indigenous warrior and go to battle, first against Spanish soldiers and then against Aztecs and other natives.
The eight levels of the game recreate the lives of the Mesoamerican people, featuring volcanoes, rivers, ceremonial temples, flora and fauna.
“Yaopan”, which in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs means “where war is born”, will be available for mobile devices from Sept 23.
The game, which was developed by a team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, tries to present an alternative to the narrative that portrays the Tlaxcalans as traitors.
“They took advantage of the arrival of the Spanish, joined forces and conquered Tenochtitlan,” historian Federico Navarrete said.
The role of women
“Yaopan” shows the journey that the warriors undertook and digitally reconstructs indigenous characters, landscapes, languages and symbols.
The levels are “inspired by eight major episodes on the canvas” such as the arrival of the Spaniards, marital alliances and the war pact, said Emmanuel Castro of game studio Bromio, which is involved in the project.
The canvas was made in 1552 to inform the Spanish crown of the Tlaxcalans’ collaboration, which assured them certain privileges. The story it tells “is of an alliance and not a defeat”, said Navarrete.
The game also highlights the role played by women in the conquest. Some, such as Tlaxcalan warrior Tecuelhuetzin, fought in battle and have been given their own avatars in the video game.
“The marital alliance between Tlaxcalans and Spaniards occurred through noble women, which later became part of their military strategy,” said historian Antonio Jaramillo.
There are plans to translate the video game into the Tlaxcala variant of Nahuatl as well as Otomi, the second-most widely spoken indigenous language in central Mexico.