In Aztec combat, there were two basic goals. The first goal was political: conquering rival city states (Altepetl) in order to collect tribute and expand Aztec political authority. The capture of prisoners to be sacrificed in religious ceremonies was the second religious and economical goal. The Aztecs’ military style was likewise inspired by these dual objectives. Most combat was essentially political, motivated by the Aztec nobility’s assumption that the Tlahtoni [tatoani] would offer economic prosperity through expansion, and the commoners’ expectation that successful battle would allow them to advance in society. A ruler-first elect’s act was always to launch a military campaign, which served the dual purposes of demonstrating his military prowess and reassuring subject polities that his rule would be just as tough on rebellious behavior as his predecessor’s, as well as providing ample captives for his coronation ceremony. A failed coronation campaign was regarded as a terrible portent for a Tlatoani’s leadership, as it may lead to city-state rebellions and the Aztec nobility’s suspicion of his capacity to rule — as it did for Tizoc, who was poisoned by the Aztec nobles after numerous failed military expeditions.
The Aztecs used a second type of warfare known as Flower war (xchiyytl [otijaojot]). After a prior agreement between the parties involved, this type of warfare was waged by smaller troops. It wasn’t specifically directed against the enemy city-state (altepetl), but it did have a few other uses. Taking sacrificial victims is one of the most commonly cited purposes, and it was undoubtedly an essential aspect of most Aztec combat. The Xochiyaoyotl was instigated by Tlacaelel during the great Mesoamerican famine of 1450-1454 under the reign of Moctezuma I, according to Friar Diego Durán and the chronicles based on the Crónica X. According to these traditions, Tlacaelel prepared for ritual fights with the leaders of Tlaxcala, Cholula, and Huexotzinco, as well as Tliliuhquitepec, to produce enough sacrificial victims for all sides to placate the gods. However, according to Ross Hassig (1988), there are four main political functions of xochiyaoyotl:
- This type of battle allowed the Aztecs to show off their military prowess. Because the Aztec army was greater than its opponents, who were often smaller city states, and because the numbers of warriors on each side were predetermined, the Aztec army sent a significantly smaller percentage of its overall forces than their opponents. The Aztec Mythology army would suffer less damage if it lost the Flower War than its opponents.
- This also meant that attrition was a goal – the massive Aztec army could afford to engage in small-scale warfare considerably more frequently than their opponents, who would eventually weary and be ready for conquest.
- It also permitted a monarch to continue low-intensity hostilities while attending to other things.
- Xochiyaoyotl was primarily used as propaganda, both to foreign city-states and to the Aztec people, allowing the Aztec rulers to demonstrate their power by bringing war captives to Tenochtitlan on a regular basis. [requires citation]
- Most significantly, the flower war was used to capture captives in order to commit ritual sacrifices. The city-state of Tlaxcala was located to the east of the expanding Aztec kingdom. The Tlaxcalans were a powerful people who shared their culture and language with the Aztec empire’s inhabitants. They were closely associated with the empire, yet they were never subjugated by it. The Tlaxcalans agreed to have xochiyaoyotl, or ritual combat, with them. The flower battle is an Aztec ritual in which victims are brought back and sacrificed to their god Xipe Totec (Tezcatlipoca).
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