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Antagonizing Aztec Armies

When people think about the Aztecs, they probably think of brutal human sacrifice, a great empire, and extremely religious people. The Aztecs, however, also had a very powerful and dominant army. The Aztec Empire was located in Central Mexico and was bordered by present day United States, the Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Aztec Empire ended in 1521, but the culture still lives on. A group of people called the “Nahua,” who are the descendants of Aztecs, continue to live in this area. These people are very religious, but not as religious as the Aztecs, and of course, they do not participate in human sacrifice. The Aztec legacy doesn’t have as much effect in America as it does in Mexico, but it is very big there. The Aztecs brought Roman Catholic faith into Mexico, and also started the holiday “The Day of the Dead.”

An important part of Aztec culture was its warfare. Warriors and weapons were important to the Aztecs because they needed to defend their land and keep their empire running. We can learn more by looking about the roles of the Aztec in war, weapons, and sacrifices.

You may have heard of the military jobs in the U.S. army, such as pilot, ship captain, sniper, and many more. The Aztec military had jobs too, but they were very different. These jobs, in no particular order are: weapons maker, messenger, student warrior, stone slinger, spy, jaguar warrior, and eagle elder.

The weapons maker is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a family who collaborates to make weapons for the military. The messenger is a fast, teen aged boy whose job it is to deliver messages. Messengers keep delivering the messages to other messengers until the message gets back to the emperor. The student warrior is a warrior in training. A stone slinger is someone whose job is to fling rocks at enemies using a slingshot. A spy is someone who disguises themselves as a local in enemy territory in order to get inside information. The title jaguar warrior is a name for a warrior who took four captives in one battle. Finally, an Eagle Elder is the most elite of warriors. They are honored for their bravery in battle, and are part of the military for life. Which job would you choose?

Another thing similar to the us army is that they have many types of weapons. The American military uses many types of weapons such as guns, bombs, etc. The aztecs had six main weapons. These weapons were: maquahuitl,clubs, spears, atlatls, bows and arrows, and slings.

The maquahuitl is probably the best known aztec weapon; it was a 3-4” wide 3-4’ long, sword-like object that supposedly could chop off a horses head with one blow! Clubs were wooden maces that were used to smash and crush things. Aztec Spears are very similar to spears today. They’re seven foot long, wooden sticks with an extremely sharp, one foot wide, blade at the top. Atlatls were pretty much spear throwers. They were smaller sticks with a handle at the bottom and a dart holder on top. The aztec bows and arrows are the same bows and arrows you see today. A five foot long bow shot arrows tipped with flint, bone, or obsidian. Aztec warriors could supposedly shoot an arrow up to 450 feet. Finally, slings were what stone slingers used; a short stick with a pocket attached to it. Aztec stone slingers allegedly could sling a stone over 650 feet! If you were an Aztec warrior which weapon would you use?

If you’ve ever learned about the Aztecs you most likely have heard that they performed extremely gruesome human sacrifices. When Aztecs were in battle, they didn’t like to kill people; instead, they took captives. A captive is another name for a prisoner. After the battle was over, priests would look over the captives and then hand pick the ones that were to be sacrificed. Once you were picked, a special ceremony would be thrown for your sacrifice. Once the priests sees Venus’ star they’ll start the sacrifice. Then the priests will take you up the of steps of a temple, five priests will lift you up into the air, and then, finally, they’ll kill you. Most likely, you’ll be killed by having your chest ripped open and your heart ripped out of your chest. Other ways you may be sacrificed are by being beheaded, being thrown into a lake to drown, or if you’re an opposing warrior, you may even be forced to fight an Eagle Elder with weapons made of only feathers!

Unfortunately, the Aztec culture ended in 1521 because Cortes and his people were very clever; they defeated the Aztecs, and stole their land. However, another reason for Cortes’ success could be that the Aztecs sacrificed a lot of their people. The Aztecs taught us three main lessons: stay faithful, nothing lasts forever, and don’t sacrifice all of your people!

Glossary

atlatls- spear throwers

antagonizing- to cause someone to be hostile

Bows and Arrows- A five foot long bow that shot arrows tipped with flint, bone, or obsidian

clubs- wooden maces that were used to smash and crush things

eagle elder- The most elite Aztec warrior

jaguar warrior- an Aztec warrior that has taken four captives in one battle

maquahuitl- a 3-4” wide 3-4’ long, sword-like object

messenger- someone who delivers messages back to other messengers until the main message gets to the emperor

nahua- living descendants of aztecs

spears- a seven foot long wooden stick with an extremely sharp, one foot wide, blade at the top

spy- someone who goes into enemy territory with the intent to pickup inside information on what the enemy is planning on doing

Slings- A short stick with a pocket attached to it

stone slinger- a stone linger

student warrior- a warrior in training

The Day of the Dead- a holiday some spanish Roman Catholics celebrate to remember those who have passed

weapons maker- someone who makes weapons for the Aztec military

Works Cited "Ancient Aztec Weapon." Ancient Aztec Weapon. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. "Army Weapons." About.com US Military. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. "Aztec Map." Aztec Map. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. "Aztecs - Woodlands History Homework Help." Aztecs - Woodlands. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. Burgan, Michael. Ancient Aztecs. New York: Children's, 2012. Print. "Careers in the Military :: Welcome." Careers in the Military :: Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014. Coulter, Laurie, and Martha Newbigging. Ballplayers and Bonesetters: One Hundred Ancient Aztec and Maya Jobs You Might Have Adored or Abhorred. Toronto: Annick, 2008. Print. Harpur, James. Warriors. Rowville, Vic.: Summit, 2007. Print. "How Long Did the Aztec Empire Exist?" How Long Did the Aztec Empire Exist? N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. Macdonald, Fiona, and David Antram. You Wouldn't Want to Be an Aztec Sacrifice! New York: Franklin Watts, 2001. Print. "Maps." Aztec Empire Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. "Mexicolore." Mexicolore. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. "Mexicolore." Mexicolore. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. "United States Army Ranks." US Army Military Ranks, Lowest to Highest. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. Woods, Michael, and Mary B. Woods. Ancient Warfare Technology: From Javelins to Chariots. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century, 2011. Print.

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