“O Tezcatlipoca!.. The God of the earth opened his mouth. He's hungry. He will eagerly swallow the blood of many who will die …"
("The Mystery of the Mayan Priests", V. A. Kuzmishchev)
The weapons with which they taught the art of war to young men, future warriors among the Aztecs and Mayans, were, of course, very primitive in comparison with the weapons of the Spaniards. However, they had good armor, good even by 16th century European standards. The children of the peasants, namely they made up the majority of the population of the Aztec empire, learned from childhood how to handle a sling, and while playing, they also brought prey to the family hearth. Anyone could make this weapon, simply by weaving a rope of the desired length from the fibers of the magway plant. The standard sling was five feet (1.52 m) long and had an extension in the middle and a loop at the end. The loops were put on three fingers, and the other end was clamped between the thumb and forefinger. A shell was put into the expansion, the sling was unwound, after which the free end was released by the warrior at the right time. Usually small oval-shaped stones were used, but they could well break a person's head from a distance of 200 yards (approx. 180 m). The hail from such stones in any case caused damage to the enemy, so that even Europeans, who had metal helmets and armor, did not escape injuries from the stones released by the Indians from the sling.
Sacrificial flint knives of the Aztecs. Numerous sacrifices required a lot of them, as they quickly became dull from work! And a lot of them were found, both richly decorated and very simple. And it is unlikely that the Spanish winners would … forge these knives (or force the Indians to do it!) In order to prove something to someone there? To whom to prove and why? After all, the faith of Christ has triumphed! National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City.
The boys also learned to wield a bow and arrow - an ancient weapon of their ancestors - the Chichimec Indians. Traditionally, it is believed that the Indians had bad bows, because they did not know composite bows. That is, their bows were simple, made of hazel or elm, and the longest could reach five feet. That is, they were clearly weaker than the bows of the English archers of the era of Crécy and Poitiers, but not so much that much. The bowstring could be made of leather or animal sinew. A viburnum went on the arrows, the rods of which were straightened over the fire, while alternately they were either dried or soaked. For stable flight, feathers of parrots were used, and the tips could be of slate, obsidian or flint, but there were already copper ones - from native copper, cold-forged. Three-pronged bone tips are known. They were used for hunting, but they could also be used in battle, since they could cause serious injuries.
Aztec sacrificial knife with a carved wooden handle. National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City.
The task of the archers and slingers was to disorganize the enemy's ranks and inflict debilitating losses on them. However, although the Aztecs brought them into single units, they were usually not used as the main striking force, since the purpose of the battle was not to destroy the enemy, but to capture him.
"Code of Mendoza". Obverse, page 46. Record of tribute to the Aztecs from conquered peoples, including armor for warriors. Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
Another very popular weapon of the Mesoamerican Indians was the spear and the spear-throwing stick - the atlatl. The advantage of such spear throwers was that hunters with their help could attack large animals, such as a bison or mammoth, inflicting severe and deep wounds on them. Aztec spear throwers (of those that have survived to this day) are about two feet (approx. 60 cm) long. It was necessary to hold this shell between the index and middle fingers, which, in addition, were threaded into loops on both sides of the shaft. On the surface of the spear thrower there was a groove in which the spear was laid so that its blunt end rested against the L-shaped ledge. To throw the spear, the hand was pulled back, and then jerked forward sharply in a movement very similar to a whip blow. As a result, it flew out of the spear thrower with a force twenty times greater than that which could be developed by throwing a spear with a hand. Spear throwers were carved from hard wood and skillfully decorated with feathers and carved ornaments. Although the spear thrower was used by the Teotihuacans, Mixtecs, Zapotecs and Mayans, the question of how much an ordinary Aztec warrior could rely on the atlatl in battle is still controversial. After all, in order to confidently apply it, considerable skill and a lot of practice were needed, so, most likely, it was the weapon of the elite. It is also noteworthy that, judging by the images in the Indian codes and on the steles, this weapon often appeared in the hands of various gods, which means it could well be considered very, very extraordinary.
Rice. artist Angus McBride. In the foreground is a fogged warrior with an atlatl in his hands. Behind him is a warrior-priest, dressed in a "jumpsuit" made of human skin.
Batons and axes were also part of the arsenal of Mesoamerican warriors. So, the club with a thickening at the end was called cuawolli and this type of weapon and hardwood was especially popular with Huastecs, Tarascans and their neighbors. The man was stunned with a truncheon, then tied and dragged to the rear. The ax was a popular weapon among the Olmecs, as evidenced by their artwork. Axes were made of solid stone, cast copper and mounted on a wooden handle. True, the Aztec warriors, like the Maya, did not use axes so widely.
Aztec eagle warriors and jaguar warriors. The Florentine Codex. Library of Laurenziana, Florence.
But a very significant weapon of both of them was the wooden macuahuetl sword, which had edges made of pieces of obsidian glued into the grooves and sharp as a razor. The specimens we know were about 3.5 feet (1.06 m) in length, but there were two-handed specimens of a completely creepy look. It is believed that the widespread use of macuahuitl among the Aztecs was associated with the need to arm and train large groups of commoners as quickly as possible. The Spaniards confirm their effectiveness. For example, one of the participants in Cortez's campaign described how “an Indian fought against a horseman, and this Indian struck his opponent's horse such a blow in the chest that he cut it to the guts, and it fell dead on the spot. On the same day I saw another Indian hit the horse in the neck, and it fell dead at his feet. " That is, the macuahuitl was a very serious weapon and could seriously injure the enemy. On the other hand, it was possible to strike him flat, which again corresponded to the tactics of "taking the enemy prisoner."
Warriors of the Aztecs: the first from the left - the warrior of the brotherhood of the "shorn", belonged to the elite and therefore fought without a helmet so that everyone could see his short hair; the warrior in the center is a priest dressed in characteristic priestly clothing, the far right is an ordinary warrior with a macuahuitl like everyone else and in a quilted cotton shell. Rice. Angus McBride.
The tepoztopilli spear had a tip carved from wood with obsidian blades inserted into it in the same way as that of a macuahuitl. The length of this spear could be either 3 or 7 feet (1, 06-2, 13 m). As a rule, these were the weapons of young warriors for the first military campaign. Such spears could be operated from behind the backs of experienced warriors with swords in their hands.
And here we come to the conclusion that the culture of the Aztecs was not a culture of the Stone Age in its purest form. It should be called the "obsidian culture". Obsidian, on the other hand, is nothing more than a specific volcanic glass, which is formed during the rapid cooling and solidification of volcanic lava flows containing silicates. The largest of the outcrops of obsidian is located near Tulancingo, 65 miles (about 105 km) from Tenochtitlan. From there, its blocks were delivered to the city, hundreds of artisans made from it arrowheads and spears, and many "disposable" blades that were used both in everyday life and in war. To make such a blade is not difficult at all, literally in a few seconds, and there is no need to sharpen it. It's easier to throw it away and make something new.
Feather tunic. National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City.
To match the original weapon created by the Aztecs, there were also means of protection against it. Thus, the strong blows of the macuahuitl required shields larger than before. And such shields - round shields-chimalli began to reach 30 inches (i.e. 76 cm) in diameter. They were made from rods burned in a fire or wooden slats intertwined with cotton threads. One of the types of decoration was their fringe of feathers, in which the leather ribbons attached at the bottom could additionally protect the legs from projectiles. Solid wood shields with copper plaques are also known. The shields were decorated with feathers, and the patterns represented certain heraldic figures indicating the military merit of the owner. It is known that patterns such as chicalcoliuque and queshio were the most popular.
Warriors of the Aztecs in combat clothing, which shows how many of them took prisoners. "Code of Mendoza". Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
The Indians came up with many ways to protect the head. Even a simple hairstyle, a temilotl, of tied hair at the crown of the head, could greatly soften the blow of the flat side of the macuahuitl to the head. Helmets were the privilege of warriors and could be shaped like the heads of eagles, jaguars and other animals, for example, a coyote, or tsizimitl, the Aztec "demon of revenge." They denoted the rank of a warrior or his affiliation with a particular group of "warrior-eagles" or "warriors of the jaguars." Helmets were usually made of wood and decorated with colorful feathers. They were carved out of solid wood - red, for example. The helmet was complemented by a thick cotton hat, as well as leather or cotton ribbons tied under the chin. Such a helmet was primarily an image of a totem animal. Moreover, he covered the warrior's head entirely, so that he had to look through his mouth. According to the beliefs of the Aztecs, now both the beast itself and the warrior constituted a single whole and the spirit of the beast was supposed to help him. And, of course, all these horrible "disguises" could not but terrify the simple-minded peasants. Such "curly" helmets were given to the soldiers as a reward, but representatives of the nobility and nakons - the commanders of the detachments, could order helmets in the shape of the head of any animal, be it a parrot, vulture, monkey, wolf or caiman, and by them they were distinguished on the battlefield !
The standard protective armor for the torso was sleeveless jackets - ichkauipilli, made of quilted cotton fabric with salted cotton wool between the layers. Steel armor, as the Spaniards found out after landing on the island of Hispaniola, is practically useless in the hot and humid climate of the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. It was hard to wear, had to be constantly cleaned, and besides, it got terribly hot in the sun. Therefore, the ichkauipilli (more like a bulletproof vest than a shell itself) turned out to be an ideal means of protection. In addition, the razor-sharp blades of obsidian were dull and broke off on salt crystals. There are many images of ichkauipilli in pictographic manuscripts, and their length could vary from the waist to mid-thigh. Usually ichkauipilli were of the color of unbleached cotton linen, but some of them were dyed in bright colors, for example, in red. Often such cotton jackets were worn by warriors with ehuatl - a closed tunic trimmed with feathers and leather. Ehuatl had a leather skirt or strips of fabric sewn at the bottom like Greco-Roman pterygs, which served to protect the thighs, but did not hinder movement. It is interesting that the Aztec emperors were distinguished by their special love for euatls made of red spoonbill feathers, which they collected personally (!) - that's even how. Additional protection was provided by bracelets on the wrists and forearms, as well as greaves made of wood and leather, sometimes reinforced with strips of metal - cold-forged native copper.
Warriors with spears tepotstopilli. "Code of Mendoza". Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
Clothing u insignia
It's funny, but the Spaniards were truly overwhelmed by the variety of all kinds of military clothing of the Aztec army. The fact is that in most other cultures, uniforms were used in order to distinguish between individual military units on the battlefield and the Spaniards understood this. But then among the Aztecs, differences in clothing meant a corresponding difference between warriors who had different combat experience within one unit. Since all warriors usually came from the same kalpilli or its vicinity, the elders were responsible for the younger ones. And that is precisely why they both differed in their clothes! So, a young man who joined the army usually had only a loincloth-mashtlatl, a pair of sandals and a short homespun cloak. And everyone saw that he was still a beginner on the "warpath" and, accordingly, he was helped and encouraged. Well, while at school he himself studied all types of military vestments in the most thorough way, and insignia, both his own and the enemy, from special pictographic books, and therefore could unmistakably determine in battle who is who.
A fresco from a Mayan temple in Bonampak, Yucatan Peninsula. The leader of the victorious side examines the captured prisoners with their nails torn out so that they cannot offer resistance.
The main thing that determined the rank of a warrior and the details of his attire is the number of enemies taken prisoner by him. Having captured two prisoners, he immediately received the right to the cuestecatl, the clothing of the military vestments of the Huastecs - as a memory of the victory won over them by the emperors Montezuma I. The questecatl had the form of a tight-fitting jacket made of cotton fabric - tlahuiztli, embroidered with multi-colored feathers and a conical hat of the same color. Anyone who managed to capture three enemies was given a long ichkauipilli with a black pattern in the form of butterflies as a reward. The one who captivated four - a jaguar helmet, and five and more - tlauitztli of green feathers with a black shopilli decoration - "claw". Outstanding warriors had the right to choose: to become commanders of squads or to join an elite squad of kuachike, something of a "berserk" in the Aztec army.
Warriors with swords and clubs in their hands. "Code of Goods" (or "Code of Reimirez"). National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City.
Calmecak priests who participated in the battles also received awards for the prisoners. At first, they wore a chicolli, a simple cotton jacket with no embellishments whatsoever. But if he got two enemies, then he received a white tlauitztli with black decoration, which was a ritual accessory of the goddess Tlazoteotl. He took three prisoners - and, therefore, you deserve the right to a green tlauitztli and, in addition, a memorial - a flag with red and white stripes, and even topped with a bunch of precious quetzal bird feathers of emerald color. A priest who took four or more enemies received a questecatl with a pattern of white circles on a black photo, meaning stars. Capturing five prisoners could wear a red tlauitztli with a black fan of macaw parrot feathers called momoyaktli. Those who were able to capture six were rewarded with a coyote robe decorated with yellow or red feathers and a wooden helmet with his head.
A figure of a warrior with two shields decorated with feathers. Tenochtitlan. National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City.
The military rank of a soldier was seriously dependent on his social status. At the head of the Aztec society was the Way Tlatoani, or Great Orator. By the XV century. this position corresponded to the title of emperor. He was followed by minor rulers and princes - tetekuntin (singular tekutli), from among noble people, and pipiltin (singular pilli) of a lower rank, something like European barons. But even the ambitious commoners-Masehuatlin (singular Macehuatl) were not blocked upward. To do this, it was necessary to climb up all the ranks of the army, and there were about ten of them. In addition to them, there were four more for the high command (and they were certainly forbidden for the pipiltin) - tlacatecatl, tlacoccalcatl whitzinahuatl and ticociahuacatl. Those who reached the rank of unit commander and above were rewarded with bright robes and plumes of feathers. They were the most catchy elements of their costume, so it was not difficult to notice them against the background of all the other warriors. Probably the most unusual is the garb of the tlakochkalkatl, the Guardian of the House of Spears. Commanders of this rank were usually related to the emperor - for example, Itzcoatl and Montezuma were Tlacochcalcatls before they became Way Tla-Toani. Their "uniforms" included a fearsome-looking helmet depicting cidimitl, a demon-avenger.
Outside, so to speak, the formation, there was no need for combat clothing, however, even here, ordinary soldiers and unit commanders had to wear a tilmatli cloak, 4 to 6 feet long (1, 22-1, 83 m), fastened on right shoulder and freely falling along the body. Like other military clothing, this tilmatli was decorated so that all the achievements of its owner would be noticeable to everyone at first sight. So, a commoner who took one enemy prisoner had flowers decorated with tilmatls, two prisoners allowed them to wear orange tilmatls with a striped border. And so on - the higher the rank of a warrior, the more complex patterns adorned his tilmatli. Well, and the richest cloaks were woven, dyed, painted and embroidered with such skill that the Spaniards who saw them compared these robes with the best clothes made of silk.
Code of Mendoza, p. 65. Robes of warriors, depending on their rank, for everyday wear. Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
The significance of clothing and weapons for the warriors of Mesoamerica is said by the speech attributed to Tlacaelel (quoted by Duran in the History of the Indians of New Spain, p. 234): “I wish to instill courage in the hearts of those who dare, and to inspire those who are weak. Know that now the emperor has commanded that brave men should not buy gold wreaths, feathers, ornaments for lips and ears, bracelets, weapons, shields, plumes, rich cloaks and trousers on the market. Our lord himself distributes them as a reward for unforgettable deeds. Upon your return from war, each of you will receive a merit-based reward so that you can show your families and gods proof of your prowess. If any of you thinks that later he will "take" this glory for himself, let him remember that the only reward for this will be the death penalty. Fight, men, and find yourself wealth and glory here, at the abusive marketplace!"
Warrior-tlakatelcatl in "civilian clothes" ("Aztec general") Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
Comparison with the market, that is, with the market, is nothing more than a metaphor. But it is worth emphasizing that even the wearing of jewelry was forbidden for ordinary people in the Aztec state. At the same time, the main craftswomen in the manufacture of beautiful clothes and feather ornaments were women of noble families, so the rulers sought to have many wives, not only for the purpose of creating political alliances, but also simply for the sake of simply getting rich thanks to receiving dowries and wedding gifts from them. Considering that the ruler could marry up to twenty times, his wives produced luxury goods in large quantities. By 1200 A. D. NS. many Aztecs realized that the more a noble family acquires outlandish materials and produces jewelry, fabrics and feather capes from them, the more profitable a marriage with such a family is. Well, profitable marriages made it possible to count on a higher position at the court, but this royal house itself, acquiring more and more rare things, could attract an increasing number of allies simply … by gifting them with them! Alas, but "materialism" among the Aztecs flourished in a very clear way!
PS The following material was planned as a simple continuation of this theme. But in connection with the interest of a certain part of the readers of "VO", which they showed to the source study base, the third article will be about this. Do not miss!
