Military
Jaguar Warriors
Jaguar Warriors carried obsidian swords and wooden shields for weaponry. The Jaguar Warriors would walk on foot and were a type of swordsmen. They wore jaguar skins with their faces peering out of the animal's head to frighten their opponents. Only the greatest of Atzec warriors are granted the honor of becoming Jaguar Warriors. Thes soldiers were ferocious fighters, often emerging victorious even when badly outnumbered.
Military Life
For Aztec males, there was no choice; from the moment a male child was born, he was a warrior. As he was born. Once the child is born, almost all aspects of the child's life were devoted to preparing him to become a skilled warrior.
The Importance of Military
To the Aztecs, war was a necessary part of the society and was very important. It had both political and economic significance. All aspects of Aztec life had some relationship to war.
La Noche Triste
La Noche Triste translates to "The Sad Night". La Noche Triste was one of the famous battles fought by the Aztecs.
While Cortés was fighting Narvaez, Alvarado imprisoned two important leaders and killed several others. The tensions exploded when Alvarado ordered a massacre during the great Aztec spring festival, Huizilopochtli. Cortés returned on June 25, 1520 and by June 30 the situation was desperate. The causeways were cut, the bridges taken away, and the net closed. The Spanish had no food supplies and there was a shortage of drinking water. Cortés forced Montezuma to try and make peace with the people from the rooftop, but the emperor was forced to retreat under a hail of stones and arrows.
The Spanish later claimed that Montezuma was wounded and died of his injuries. When he was taken back to the palace, Cortés understood that he had lost all his power, and was no longer useful to the Spanish.
News of the killing of Montezuma and the other great lords spread, and soon there was violence in the city. The Spaniards tried to flee unnoticed, but they were caught. A call went out and canoes began to close in on all sides. The Spanish tried to press forward, and in the confusion, hundreds of men fell into the canal.
More than 600 Spanish conquistadors were killed and Cortés retreated back to Tlaxcala. The horror of that night was never forgotten. It is still called "the night of tears" (noche triste).
While Cortés was fighting Narvaez, Alvarado imprisoned two important leaders and killed several others. The tensions exploded when Alvarado ordered a massacre during the great Aztec spring festival, Huizilopochtli. Cortés returned on June 25, 1520 and by June 30 the situation was desperate. The causeways were cut, the bridges taken away, and the net closed. The Spanish had no food supplies and there was a shortage of drinking water. Cortés forced Montezuma to try and make peace with the people from the rooftop, but the emperor was forced to retreat under a hail of stones and arrows.
The Spanish later claimed that Montezuma was wounded and died of his injuries. When he was taken back to the palace, Cortés understood that he had lost all his power, and was no longer useful to the Spanish.
News of the killing of Montezuma and the other great lords spread, and soon there was violence in the city. The Spaniards tried to flee unnoticed, but they were caught. A call went out and canoes began to close in on all sides. The Spanish tried to press forward, and in the confusion, hundreds of men fell into the canal.
More than 600 Spanish conquistadors were killed and Cortés retreated back to Tlaxcala. The horror of that night was never forgotten. It is still called "the night of tears" (noche triste).
Siege of Tenochtitlán
At Tlaxcala Cortés made peace with his wavering Indian allies and rebuilt his military force. The key to victory, was the lake and he set out to build a fleet of boats. Cortés then wrote his a letter to the King of Spain, that explained his actions in Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs thought the Spaniards were gone for good. They elected a new king, Cuautemoc who was a cousin of was an experienced leader.
The Aztecs fixed up the temple courtyards and again celebrated their traditional fiestas. By the end of September, people started to die of a mysterious sickness that had horrifying symptoms of such as burning sores. The smallpox spread to Tenochtitlán. It lasted 70 days, until late November, and killed a large number of people.
At the end of December 1520, Cortés' army moved toward Tenochtitlán. The early stage of the siege saw the surrender of towns all around the lake. It was obvious that Tenochtitlán had no chance of winning and there were many issues. The Aztecs still wouldn't surrender, even when only the city on the island was left. In empires when the capital is taken over, another city in the empire becomes the new capital. Since their capital was the only city left, they had no chance.
The Aztecs fixed up the temple courtyards and again celebrated their traditional fiestas. By the end of September, people started to die of a mysterious sickness that had horrifying symptoms of such as burning sores. The smallpox spread to Tenochtitlán. It lasted 70 days, until late November, and killed a large number of people.
At the end of December 1520, Cortés' army moved toward Tenochtitlán. The early stage of the siege saw the surrender of towns all around the lake. It was obvious that Tenochtitlán had no chance of winning and there were many issues. The Aztecs still wouldn't surrender, even when only the city on the island was left. In empires when the capital is taken over, another city in the empire becomes the new capital. Since their capital was the only city left, they had no chance.
|
|