what other types of political and philosophical thought existed at that time aside from city-states ruled by lords?
Can I preempt some of the answers pointing out how feudalism is a flawed concept by asking a question which tackles the same ideas without actually using that word:
Was 14th century mesoamerica ruled by local hereditary rulers with some vassal-like relationship to a higher-ranked hereditary ruler? Was there any equivalent to the hereditary noble titles we see in Europe (dukes, counts)? How could the relationship between mesoamerican priests and secular leaders be compared to the relationship between the Catholic church and the nobility in Europe?
This isn't exactly what you are looking for, but this post by /u/400-Rabbits covers a similar sort of topic that has some crossover with what you are asking about. Be sure to read the whole chain and not just the first post too, since most of how it relates to your topic is in the replies.
(Mods, I apolgize if this is out of line, AFAIK, linking to prior well done posts that are relevant is allowed)