The jaguar was a very important animal to the Aztecs. it is the largest wildcat in the Americas and is a fierce hunter. Because jaguars see well at night, the Aztecs associated them with tezcatlipoca, the god of night.
The Aztecs chose the jaguar as a symbol for some of their best warriors because of the big cat's bravery. their word for the jaguar was ocelotl. today, that word is the root of the name of another wildcat, a smaller relative of the jaguar called the ocelot.
An ocelot is twice the size of the average housecat and has a spotted coat. many ocelots live in the rain forests of central and South America. But they can also be found as far north as texas. ocelots are currently endangered.
Guests, suddenly turned on them without any apparent motive and— more important—without the customary ritual warning.”
The goal of war was not to kill the enemy but to expand territory and collect captives. Warriors struck the enemy in the legs with a sword. Success for a warrior was based on the number of captives taken. This was sometimes a way for a commoner to gain a promotion in rank and possibly even become a noble.
In the 11th month of each year, the tlatoani gave out military honors and awards. These might include special weapons and badges of distinction, shields, swords, cloaks, and loincloths.
The army was divided into small groups of about 200 men that were like modern platoons. The basic large unit, like today’s battalion, had about 8,000 men. A major war would see as many as 25 units, or 200,000 warriors, heading to battle.
Along with the warriors were porters to carry supplies. Before a war began, communities were warned in advance. Each calpulli was expected to provide 400 warriors, along with supplies. Towns had their orders to provide quantities of maize, tortillas, salt, beans, fresh and dried chilies, corn meal, and pumpkin seeds to feed the troops.
World History
