“Brothers, let us follow the cross! Having faith by this sign we will conquer!"
(Fernando Cortez)
One of the "favorite topics" of Russian journalism is, and this has been the case for a long time, the so-called "anniversary dates". It can be either a date that is a multiple of some event in time, or just a "coincidence in numbers". For example, such and such … exactly a hundred years ago a name was born / died and his biography went on. Or - there was such and such a battle and it ended in such and such a way, and then - about the battle. Such is the connection to reality.
This is how the "war of colors" could look like in the Aztec society …
Not so long ago, according to the same principle, a material was published about the Battle of Otumba (https://topwar.ru/120380-vek-kamennyy-i-vek-zheleznyy.html), which described how retreating after defeat in "Night of Sorrow" the Spaniards defeated the Indian troops trying to stop them. Many VO readers, however, thought that they should write more about this, that is, talk about the war of the conquistadors and the Indians of Mesoamerica in more detail. Well, the topic is really very interesting and therefore certainly deserves a more detailed story.
It is hardly worth retelling the twists and turns of how and why the Spaniards, under the leadership of Fernando Cortez, ended up in the lands of the Aztecs and Mayans. The story will focus on something else, namely about the military confrontation between one another, that is, in the broad sense of the word - a military clash of two completely alien cultures.
The Mendoza Codex, created by an anonymous author around 1547 in Mexico City, is considered one of the best preserved of all Aztec manuscript codes. (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
Sources of information on this subject should primarily include primary sources: written testimonies ("codes") of the Mesoamerican Indians themselves that have survived to this day (see https://readtiger.com/https/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category: Aztec_codices) and also equally interesting memories of the conquistadors themselves.
To begin with, during the military conflict between the Spaniards and the Indians, there was a clash between two extremely religious civilizations. It was faith in both cases that was the main ideological postulate of both the Indians and the Spaniards, which permeated absolutely their entire life. We can say that the "slaves of Christ" faced … "slaves of many gods." But in principle it was a clash of not only two cultures, but also two religions. The only difference was that the Christian religion of the Spaniards promised them salvation in heaven, while the religion of the Indians … demanded hot human blood from them - the food of the gods, that the gods themselves were alive, and that the world around the Indians existed. No gods - no peace! This was the main position of the Indian religion and it had to be followed daily and hourly. But … people, there are people. They did not really want to die to save the world, so instead of themselves they gave captives to the gods. And it took a war to take them. Many prisoners were required. This means that wars with the aim of capturing them were waged almost continuously from November to April, since the Indians usually did not fight during the rainy season (July-August).
Moreover, one should immediately note the fact that the Indians had a well-thought-out military organization, and did not represent a crowd of unorganized tribal militias. For example, here is what a Spanish author known as "The Nameless Conquistador" wrote about the Indian warrior:
“In battle, they are the most beautiful sight in the world, because they perfectly maintain their formation and are very impressive in their article … Anyone, confronting them face to face for the first time, may be intimidated by their screams and ferocity. In the matter of war, they are the most cruel people you can find, for they spare no brothers, no relatives, no friends, no women, no matter how beautiful they are, they kill everyone and then eat. When they cannot rob the enemy and carry off the prey, they burn everything."
The conquistador, speaking of murder and devouring, undoubtedly meant the capture of captives for sacrifice. Only the seizure testified to the military prowess of those who took part in the battle. At the same time, the loyalty of the Aztec warriors, like the Europeans of the early feudal time, belonged not only to the emperor, but to his estate, the village, that is, he shared these concepts and something for him was more important than everything else.
Sheet 61, front side. Boys of 15 years old, beginning the training of warriors and priests. Below is the wedding of a 15-year-old girl. "Code of Mendoza". (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
How did a boy become a warrior? Sometimes almost from the moment of birth. Tonalpouki - the priest made a prediction about the future fate of the child, which was determined by the designation of one of twenty days in a month and thirteen numerals. If the prediction turned out to be bad, the tonalpouki could well have corrected the birthday by writing a date more favorable for the child. Nevertheless, it was the priests who determined the occupation for each member of the community ("kalpilli") from his very birth, and someone became a warrior, and someone dug a vegetable garden!
Sheet 20, front side. Tribute to the Aztecs from the conquered tribes. They supplied baskets of grain and rolls of cotton cloth, feather seats and capes, and clothing for the warriors.
From three to fifteen years old, parents taught their children everything that related to their life in kalpilli and … their place in society. At first, the children helped in the family. Lazy people were lashed with thorny agave. The liars were pierced the tongue with a sharp fish bone, inserted a stick into the hole and forced to walk like that, sticking out their tongue! At the age of seven, they already started fishing from a boat in Lake Teshkoko and worked in the chinampas fields with their parents.
Sheet 64, obverse. The career of Aztec warriors from a simple rower to a "general". "Code of Mendoza". (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
Then the boys were sent to school. Commoners went to telpochkalli, children of the nobility went to kalmecak, where, along with other science, they were taught military science. But the sons of the nobility and famous warriors could become warriors of their own free will, and not only "by the will of fate." The trainers were experienced warriors who taught the use of a sling, spear, bow, and then with a sword and a shield. Evening group dances were held regularly to develop the "feeling of elbows" and flexibility, as well as singing. "Hazing" was encouraged, and one might even say it was made a duty to educators. The use of alcohol was especially severely punished, since it was prohibited in Aztec society. He was punished … with death, so there were probably only a few hunters to try "agave wine". In general, the life of young warriors was difficult and not too joyful, but those who could afford it were allowed to have a concubine and this brightened their lives! However, there was one more entertainment: a ball game. It was at the same time sports with sweepstakes, and … a kind of service to the gods.
When a young man was considered trained and strengthened, he was appointed a porter for another young man who had already managed to capture one enemy. Or he was sent to a detachment to conduct the "War of Flowers" - an original Aztec invention that served to replenish prisoners to the sacrificial table. With the subordinate tribe, they agreed in advance about … his "rebellion" and precisely negotiated the number of captives that would be taken. And nobody refused. The defeated knew that refusal already meant a real war and total destruction, and so, it was at least some kind of hope that they would not take you, but a neighbor.
Sacrifice of the Aztecs. "Codex Maliabekiano". National Central Library of Florence.
Then the "enemies" went out to battle with toy weapons, or even with bouquets of flowers, while the Aztecs fought for real and took as prisoners as many people as had been agreed in advance. All this was somewhat reminiscent of a European medieval tournament, where the main thing was a manifestation of valor. On the other hand, the scale of "extraction" is incomparable. For example, it is known that in 1487 the Aztecs drove to Tenochtitlan and sacrificed 80,400 captives! But in order to get such a number of prisoners, it was necessary to fight for real. That is why the Aztecs were hated by all the Indian tribes around them. They didn't need wealth. They dreamed of only one thing, that they would be helped to throw off the hated yoke of the Aztecs, who demanded many thousands of captive men on the sacrificial altars of their gods. This played into the hands of the Europeans, as soon as they learned about the current state of affairs …
Warrior-cuestecatl, 16th century The warrior who managed to take two prisoners received a special uniform, which included a tlawitztle "overalls", a high conical copilli hat and a shield with a black hawk scratch pattern. Tlauitztli was a quilted cotton robe embroidered with multicolored feathers that the Aztec-conquered city-states were to send to Tenochtitlan as an annual tribute. The shape of the cap (1) was borrowed from the Huastec tribe from the coast of Veracruz after the area was conquered by Montezuma Iluikina in 1469-1481. The basis of the money-box was made up of a "braid" of reeds. Another sign of distinction (and at the same time a sign of reverence for the goddess Tlazolteotl) was the bundles of loose cotton in the ear rings (2). A golden yakamestli, the "nasal moon" (3), was put into the nose, since this goddess patronized her. The emperor awarded the warriors with embroidered cloaks - tilmatli, indicating the rank of a warrior in peacetime (4). The mashtlatl loincloth (5) was made (5a) by the warrior's wife or mother. Moreover, the Aztecs wore it in such a way (56) so that the knot with which it was tied could be let out through the slit in the tlauitztli. The sandals (6) had a thick braided sole, to which a cotton heel and drawstring straps were sewn. Usually this garment was burned at the funeral pyre of its owner, but later the descendants of Indian warriors began to preserve these garments in memory of their ancestors. Rice. Adam Hook.
In addition to songs and dances, the boys learned the essence of war at religious holidays, the place of which was the main ceremonial square of Tenochtitlan. At the end of the dry season, between February and April, festivities were held here in front of the Great Temple in honor of the rain god Tlaloc and the god of war Sipe Toteka. The end of the "time of war" was celebrated with a feast and dances, but the main event of the holiday was battles similar to gladiators, in which captured noble captives had to fight to the death with professional Aztec warriors.
There is a known case when a certain Tlahuikol, a Tlaxcaltec military leader and sworn enemy of the Aztecs, was taken prisoner and forced to participate in such a ritual battle. He was armed only with training weapons, but despite this he killed at least eight warriors - eagles and jaguars. Delighted with his courage and skill, the Aztecs offered him an important post in their army. However, Tlahuikol considered this an insult to himself, and he himself decided to ascend the altar of Huitzilopochtli in order to be sacrificed to him.
In such a cruel society, which was the society of the Aztecs, such battles were very popular, since they gave the feeling of a real battle to those who provided the warriors with food and weapons, but could not become a warrior himself. In the expositions of the National Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of the Great Temple in Mexico City, there are two large round stone slabs, which, according to researchers, were precisely used for such fights. Interestingly, both are carved with an image of an Aztec emperor in the attire of the god Huitzilopochtli, who takes the gods of a hostile city-state prisoner. So there is a clear desire of those who made these "stones" to combine the spectacular side of the celebration with elementary propaganda, since it reminded of the power of the ruler of Tenochtitlan. So, even then, the loyal and patriotic feelings of the population were skillfully supported by colorful entertainments that aroused delight and a sense of gratitude among the commoners.
Sheet 134. Ritual duel. An enemy warrior, doomed to die, is tied by the leg in the center of the site. The warrior who killed him demonstrated not only his own strength and courage, but also the superiority of the Aztecs, therefore, in case of victory, he received rich gifts, and if he was defeated … his lot at best was general contempt, and at worst - a sacrificial stone. Codex Tovar or Codex Ramirez, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.
We emphasize that the specifics of the battle, which required not to kill the enemy, but certainly to take him prisoner, required the Aztecs and appropriate weapons, but this will be discussed in the next article.
