Weapons & Warriors: Aztecs Warriors To Subdue or Not To Subdue

Art by Steven DeVon Jones

The Aztec economy was structured around a religious and militaristic society. The religion had a demand for human sacrifice. Since the war prisoner was a more valuable offering, the Aztec culture leaned heavily towards a militaristic culture. Every member of society was required to go through a basic military training once they reached a certain age. This not only helped keep the borders safe from invaders, it also swelled the number of members of the Aztec army.

The majority of the Aztec army were the common people with just enough training to be organized and deadly. Deadly, however, was not the goal of the army. The expansionist Aztec empire required prisoners for their rituals, so the only way to really get a promotion, was to capture your enemies as opposed to slaying them. This single purpose of the Aztec military made them unique from every military in the world. They conquered their enemies and forced them to provide sacrifices. If they did not hand over the prisoners, the Aztecs would just take them through raids.