Hiding in plain sight

The alternative roots of the origins of modern nation-states. What would happen if we stopped looking at democracy through the Western gaze that views Athens as its birthplace? Once clear of Ancient Greece's lens, the human past begins to look entirely different: democratic practices were not limited to the West and are hidden in plain sight in some of the pivotal moments of world history. Using reports from the Spanish Conquest, David Graeber and David Wengrow examine the history of the Mexican city-state of Tlaxcala and reveal democracy’s indigenous origins in the Americas.