The
Aztecs were constantly fighting with their neighbors’, either to increase the
size of their empire or to take prisoners who would probably be sacrificed to
the gods of their temples. For
Aztec males, there was no choice; from the moment a male child was born, he was
proclaimed a warrior. From this point on, almost all aspects of the child's life
were devoted to preparing him to become a skilled warrior. Boys
accompanied the army as porters, carrying weapons and supplies.
Aztec armies
were also a companied by priests who carried effigies of their gods alongside
the armies.
The
Aztec army was well organized and with a well organized command structure. The
common warriors were formed up into companies called Calpulli. Each Calpulli was
further divided into fourths and led by nobles from the region were the troops
were from. The exact size of a Calpulli most likely varied, but they were
certainly impressive given the size of the Aztec armies. Twenty Calpultin were
stationed in the Aztec capitol, Tenochtitlan, and led by the emperor’s family.
Other smaller units of the Aztec army had strengths of 800, 400 or 200 warriors
and were also led by noble officers. The leadership of the army, particularly
the generals, would designate a successor before each battle so that if they
were killed they could immediately be replaced. For an Aztec soldier to increase
rank he would have capture or kill a great deal of worriers however the most
feared aspect of the Aztec force was their specialized elite units, The noble
warrior classes which formed special military units such as the eagle and
jaguar. An Aztec warrior usually carried spears made of wood, with and obsidian
edged blade, and a wooden maquahuitl (war club) which was about 76cm (30in)
long. The maquahuitl had grooved sides set with sharp obsidian blades. Warriors
also carried stabbing javelins and round shields with feather fringes. Flint and
obsidian knives were also used and woolen slings to fire stones at their
enemies. The ideal warrior was noble, brave and had to serve and respect the
gods. Warriors were so important to the Aztecs that new rulers had to start
their rule on the battle field, adding cities and provinces to the empire, and
capturing prisoners for ritual sacrifice
To the Aztecs, war was an integral part of the society. War not
only had political and economic significance, but also ideological, and all
aspects of Aztec life had some relationship to war. The primary method of
collecting goods was through the tribute system. "Tribute refers to revenue
collected by a militarily dominant state from its conquered regions. The payment
of tribute serves symbolically to express the dominance of one
political entity over another. Though there was a definite economic
advantage for having a strong military to conquer other polities and demote them
to tributary status.
Around
the end of March 1519, Hernan Cortes landed with a Spanish conquistador force
at Potonchan on the coast of modern-day Mexico. Cortés had been commissioned by
Governor Diego Velazquez de Cuella of Spanish-controlled Cuba to lead an
expedition in the area, which was dominated by the Aztec Empire. Through a
combination of raw force and political maneuvering, Cortés was able to secure
the allegiance of the Totonacs and the Tlaxcaltec (subjugated enemies of the
Aztec empire) during his advance on the Empire's main settlement,
In November; a Spanish force entered the city, and was greeted by its
ruler, Tenochtitlan Moctezuma. Initially, the conquistadors were treated well by
the Aztecs whilst they stayed in the city, but increasing tension by the end of
June 1520 led to the forcedexpulsion of
the Spanish and Tlaxcaltec from Tenochtitlan in an event called
La Noche Triste (The Sad Night.) Cortés then started a retreat to Tlaxcala,
during which his force was harassed by Aztec Skirmishers, and the Aztec
leadership resolved to eliminate them as they withdrew.
The
siege of Tenchtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, came about in 1521
through the manipulation of local factions and divisions by Spanish Conquistador
Hernan Cortes Though numerous battles were fought between the Aztecs and the
Spanish army, which was composed of indigenous peoples, it was the siege of
Tenochtitlan that was the final, decisive battle that led to the downfall of the
Aztec civilization and marked the end of the first phase of the Spanish conquest
of the Aztec Empire.
By Drake LaForge
Aztecs were constantly fighting with their neighbors’, either to increase the
size of their empire or to take prisoners who would probably be sacrificed to
the gods of their temples. For
Aztec males, there was no choice; from the moment a male child was born, he was
proclaimed a warrior. From this point on, almost all aspects of the child's life
were devoted to preparing him to become a skilled warrior. Boys
accompanied the army as porters, carrying weapons and supplies.
Aztec armies
were also a companied by priests who carried effigies of their gods alongside
the armies.
The
Aztec army was well organized and with a well organized command structure. The
common warriors were formed up into companies called Calpulli. Each Calpulli was
further divided into fourths and led by nobles from the region were the troops
were from. The exact size of a Calpulli most likely varied, but they were
certainly impressive given the size of the Aztec armies. Twenty Calpultin were
stationed in the Aztec capitol, Tenochtitlan, and led by the emperor’s family.
Other smaller units of the Aztec army had strengths of 800, 400 or 200 warriors
and were also led by noble officers. The leadership of the army, particularly
the generals, would designate a successor before each battle so that if they
were killed they could immediately be replaced. For an Aztec soldier to increase
rank he would have capture or kill a great deal of worriers however the most
feared aspect of the Aztec force was their specialized elite units, The noble
warrior classes which formed special military units such as the eagle and
jaguar. An Aztec warrior usually carried spears made of wood, with and obsidian
edged blade, and a wooden maquahuitl (war club) which was about 76cm (30in)
long. The maquahuitl had grooved sides set with sharp obsidian blades. Warriors
also carried stabbing javelins and round shields with feather fringes. Flint and
obsidian knives were also used and woolen slings to fire stones at their
enemies. The ideal warrior was noble, brave and had to serve and respect the
gods. Warriors were so important to the Aztecs that new rulers had to start
their rule on the battle field, adding cities and provinces to the empire, and
capturing prisoners for ritual sacrifice
To the Aztecs, war was an integral part of the society. War not
only had political and economic significance, but also ideological, and all
aspects of Aztec life had some relationship to war. The primary method of
collecting goods was through the tribute system. "Tribute refers to revenue
collected by a militarily dominant state from its conquered regions. The payment
of tribute serves symbolically to express the dominance of one
political entity over another. Though there was a definite economic
advantage for having a strong military to conquer other polities and demote them
to tributary status.
Around
the end of March 1519, Hernan Cortes landed with a Spanish conquistador force
at Potonchan on the coast of modern-day Mexico. Cortés had been commissioned by
Governor Diego Velazquez de Cuella of Spanish-controlled Cuba to lead an
expedition in the area, which was dominated by the Aztec Empire. Through a
combination of raw force and political maneuvering, Cortés was able to secure
the allegiance of the Totonacs and the Tlaxcaltec (subjugated enemies of the
Aztec empire) during his advance on the Empire's main settlement,
In November; a Spanish force entered the city, and was greeted by its
ruler, Tenochtitlan Moctezuma. Initially, the conquistadors were treated well by
the Aztecs whilst they stayed in the city, but increasing tension by the end of
June 1520 led to the forcedexpulsion of
the Spanish and Tlaxcaltec from Tenochtitlan in an event called
La Noche Triste (The Sad Night.) Cortés then started a retreat to Tlaxcala,
during which his force was harassed by Aztec Skirmishers, and the Aztec
leadership resolved to eliminate them as they withdrew.
The
siege of Tenchtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, came about in 1521
through the manipulation of local factions and divisions by Spanish Conquistador
Hernan Cortes Though numerous battles were fought between the Aztecs and the
Spanish army, which was composed of indigenous peoples, it was the siege of
Tenochtitlan that was the final, decisive battle that led to the downfall of the
Aztec civilization and marked the end of the first phase of the Spanish conquest
of the Aztec Empire.
By Drake LaForge