![]() ![]() Warriors and their families soon rose to a very important place in society, and became a kind of elite. Obviously these estates had an impact on Aztec society. Once a son had inherited the land, he could keep it or sell it. The warrior was encouraged to have a family, and the estate could be passed down as an inheritance. ![]() The land was tax-free, and any profit made was his to keep. He had access to food normally reserved for the higher classes.īut one of the most important rewards was land. He could be involved in politics, for example. Someone high in the ranks had more rewards in the society at large. The appearance of the stone would change as the soldier rose in the ranks, showing the world that he was "mighty in battle". Sometimes a warrior would be given lip plug made of polished stone. Aztec warriors could also carry flowers, a privilege normally reserved for the nobles. The higher the rank, the more elaborate the costume. Higher classes wore bright featherwork, quilted cotton armour, mantles of blue ( tlahuiztli suits). Sometimes they would wear wood helmets with the insignia of their order. See these drawings of Aztec warriors for examples. Men in these societies would wear uniforms representative of these animals. The largest (and today most well known) of these were the Jaguars ( ocelomeh) and Eagles ( quauhtin). Would a successful Aztec warrior become a part of the "warrior nobility"? Or was that class only accessible by being born in the right family? We do know that there were "societies" in the army - groups of knights that held a high rank and a high place in society. There is some disagreement about exactly how high a warrior could rise in society. Capturing a few prisoners was a status symbol for a young man, and rewards would follow. To find out why capturing prisoners was so important, read about the Aztec flower war. There are some great books to check out - see Aztec Warriors on .Ĭapturing prisoners was key for a warrior to rise in the ranks of the army. That first capture was an initiation into the world of the real Aztec warrior. Then there was the youth in training, who had not yet captured his first prisoner. There were servants, who basically just carried weapons and supplies. For a commoner wanting to go to war, this meant starting out in the lower ranks in the army. A boy became a man in society at the age of 17. Then there would be actual training on the battlefield. Astronomy, rhetoric, poetry, history, and of course religion would all be important subjects at school. Boys in the empire would receive a good education, no matter what their prospects for a career were. As we'll see, there were also significant rewards in store for the successful soldier. It wouldn't be surprising to find out that your son wanted to go into the army when he grew up. The warrior was a glorified position in the society. But where did the Aztec warrior come from, and what was his life like? It's not a surprise that Aztec warriors held a very important place in the culture of central Mexico. The Aztec empire was an empire that expanded rapidly. ![]()
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