Table of Contents
History of Aztec Warfare
How did the Aztecs fight in war?
When the armies closed into melee, razor-sharp obsidian clubs, swords and daggers were used. When the Aztecs won, they would take defeated warriors, women and children as slaves or sacrifices. The city itself was left alone, but the temple was burned or razed.
Who did the Aztecs have war with?
Battle of Tenochtitln, (May 22August 13, 1521), military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition of Spanish and indigenous combatants. Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernn Corts allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitln.
What was the purpose of warfare in Aztec society?
There were two main objectives in Aztec warfare. The first objective was political: the subjugation of enemy city states (Altepetl) in order to exact tribute and expand Aztec political hegemony. The second objective was religious and socioeconomic: the taking of captives to be sacrificed in religious ceremonies.
What were Aztec weapons made out of?
A macuahuitl ([ma??k?awit??]) is a weapon, a wooden club with several embedded obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means “hand-wood”. Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian.
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| Macuahuitl | |
|---|---|
| Haft type | Straight, wood covered by leather |
What were 3 major reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire?
The four major factors that were obvious to the downfall of the Aztecs was the bloody sacrifices, religion, diseases, and the Spanish tactics used against the Aztecs.
Did the Aztecs win any battles?
The result of the battle was a victory for the Spanish, which allowed Corts to reorganize his army, having suffered casualties a few days before in the episode known as La Noche Triste.
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Battle of Otumba.
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Battle of Otumba.
| Date | 7 July 1520 (Julian calendar date) |
|---|---|
| Location | The plain of Otumba, modern-day Mexico |
| Result | Spanish-Tlaxcalan victory |
What food did Aztecs eat?
While the Aztecs ruled, they farmed large areas of land. Staples of their diet were maize, beans and squash. To these, they added chilies and tomatoes. They also harvested Acocils, an abundant crayfish-like creature found in Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae which they made into cakes.
How did the Aztecs treat their slaves?
Slaves had the right to marry, to have children, to substitute another individual in their place, and to buy their freedom. Slaveowners were responsible for housing and feeding their slaves, and slaves generally could not be resold.
What killed Aztecs?
Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children.
What fighting style did the Aztecs use?
One common subject in both was warfare: being a complex warrior society, they learned to use the atlatl (spear-thrower), the macuahuitl (the wooden club with obsidian blades), and basic wrestling.
Did Aztecs and Mayans fight?
We do have evidence of trade between them. There’s no evidence of a major war between them.
How did the Aztecs use their weapons?
Aztec warriors used tools known as atlatl to launch spears, darts and arrows. They were essentially sticks that acted like levers to extend a person’s throwing arm. The butt end of a projectile would be placed in its end, and the wielder would swing the tool overarm, launching the dart or spike.
What tactics did the Aztecs use?
In other cases, the Aztecs were known to attack, fight, then pretend to run away, and the enemy would usually follow them…. right past an ambush where other Aztecs were hidden, who would jump out and attack them in the sides and rear. In fact, there were probably as many tactics and ploys as there were targets.
Did the Aztecs fight back?
During the Spaniards’ retreat, they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies. In May 1521, Corts returned to Tenochtitlan, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire.
What two things did Aztecs admire?
For example, the Aztec considered themselves to be the successors to the earlier Toltec. In fact, the Aztec admired the Toltec for many different aspects, including: art, architecture, craftsmanship and culture.
What medicine did the Aztecs use?
Olmec, Zapotec, Maya and Aztec used peyote, hallucinogenic mushrooms (teonanacatl: Psilocybe spp) and the seeds of ololiuhqui (Turbina corymbosa), that contain mescaline, psilocybin and lysergic acid amide, respectively.
Why did Aztecs use obsidian?
Obsidian was the primary lithic or stone material used for cutting activities in Aztec society, including domestic food production, craft production, hunting, warfare, and ritual.
Why did the Aztecs lose the war?
1 Answer. The overthrow of the Aztec Empire by Cortez and his expedition rests on three factors: The fragility of that empire, the tactical advantages of Spanish technology, and smallpox.
Are there any Aztecs left?
Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work. Most Nahua worship in the local church and take part in church festivities.
Why did Spain conquer the Aztecs?
The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitln.
Who were the most feared Aztec warriors?
Beyond the warrior societies listed above, some of the most prestigious warriors in Aztec culture were the Eagle warriors and the Jaguar warriors. Both the Eagle and Jaguar warriors were referred to as ‘cu?uhoc?l?tl’ and were the two most elite types of warriors in the Aztec military.
What if the Aztecs defeated Cortez?
Smallpox and other diseases from Europe would’ve decimated the Aztecs and made them much weaker than the society that Cortez faced. It might have been 5 or 10 years later, but the outcome would’ve been the same, particularly after their numbers were reduced by 90% from disease.
What caused the fall of Tenochtitlan?
The Aztec had no immunity to European diseases. Smallpox spread among the indigenous people and crippled their ability to resist the Spanish. The disease devastated the Aztec people, greatly reducing their population and killing an estimated half of Tenochtitln’s inhabitants.
Did Aztecs eat dogs?
Yes, the Aztecs ate dogs. In fact, they raised the animals mostly for food.
Did Aztecs drink alcohol?
The liquor with which the Aztecs were acquainted was called octli (sometimes identified as pulque), and it was obtained by fermenting the sap of the maguey.
Did Aztecs eat humans?
In addition to slicing out the hearts of victims and spilling their blood on the temple altar, it’s believed that the Aztecs also practiced a form of ritual cannibalism. The victim’s bodies, after being relieved of their heads, were likely gifted to nobleman and other distinguished community members.
What did Aztecs eat for meat?
They also domesticated turkeys, duck and dogs as food and at times ate meat from larger wild animals such as deer, but none of these were a major part of their diet. They ate various mushrooms and fungi, including the parasitic corn smut, which grows on ears of corn.
What jobs did Aztec slaves do?
Use of slaves by various social classes
Slaves could be used for any sort of work, however in practice most slaves often found themselves as servants in the palaces of lords. When noblemen died they were cremated with forty slaves, 20 women and 20 men.
Why did conquered people rebel against Aztecs?
The Aztecs offered human blood from conquered people (enemies and prisoners) in worship to the sun. Why did conquered peoples rebel against the Aztecs? Conquered people rebelled against the Aztecs because they did not support human sacrifice and were religiously persecuted.
Did smallpox wipe out the Aztecs?
In the meantime smallpox devastated the Aztec population. It killed most of the Aztec army and 25% of the overall population. The Spanish Franciscan Motolinia left this description: “As the Indians did not know the remedy of the diseasethey died in heaps, like bedbugs.
Who brought smallpox to the Aztecs?
The introduction of smallpox among the Aztecs has been attributed to an African slave (by the name of Francisco Egua, according to one account) but this has been disputed. From May to September, smallpox spread slowly to Tepeaca and Tlaxcala, and to Tenochtitln by the fall of 1520.
Did the Aztecs have female warriors?
Unlike the men, Aztec women were not forced to participate in the military.
What did Aztec royalty wear?
Among the Aztecs, laws about which ornaments could be worn were strictly enforced. Only royalty could wear headdresses with gold and quetzal (a bird with brilliant blue-green feathers that reach three feet in length) feathers, for example.
What was the penalty for gossip in Aztec society?
The loss of one’s lips was the penalty for gossip in Aztec society.
