Aztec Warfare

The Aztecs were a powerful war society. The Aztecs were a powerful war society. From the moment in which you were born, you were a potential warrior. From the moment in which you were born, you were a potential warrior. All of the soldiers that made up the military were ordinary people. All of the soldiers that made up the military were ordinary people. Once that child turns to the age of about six or seven, he would be sent off to a military school for the Aztecs. Once that child turns to the age of about six or seven, he would be sent off to a military school for the Aztecs.

A boy would become a man only after he captured his first prisoner. After all of the extensive training that the future warrior would go through, he would then be sent out to fight in his first battle in order to capture his first man after becoming a warrior.

The Aztec's courage and strength helped them build their empire The Aztec's courage and strength helped them build their empire and establish themselves as the fiercest of all the tribes in the Valley of Mexico. and establish themselves as the fiercest of all the tribes in the Valley of Mexico. They easily defeated attacks from neighboring tribes. They easily defeated attacks from neighboring tribes. Declarations of war were greeted with joy Declarations of war were greeted with joy it was seen by Aztec warriors as a time to show their skills in battle. it was seen by Aztec warriors as a time to show their skills in battle.

Soldiers dressed in costumes designed to scare their enemies such as the jaguar warriors who wore ocelot skins and eagle warriors who wore a helmet shaped like the beak of a bird of prey.

Aztec jaguar and eagle warriors were members of the nobility. Their elaborate costumes were worn to show the wearer's strength and importance in the Aztec society. The warrior's leather or wooden shield was decorated with brightly colored feathers. Below the warrior's shield hung leather strips to protect his legs. Their wooden clubs were edged with extremely sharp blades of obsidian.

The Aztecs and their enemies used spears, slings, bows, and arrows to fight at close range. Razor sharp blades were chipped from obsidian and mounted on weapons. A freshly made obsidian blade was sharper than the Spaniards steel swords. But, obsidian blades soon lost their edge and were easily broken.

The Aztecs wore close-fitting cotton breastplates and used wooden shields for protection.

The Spaniards used steel swords, guns, and cannons that could take out many Aztecs at a time. The Spaniards used steel swords, guns, and cannons that could take out many Aztecs at a time.

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan Chinampa, also called floating garden, small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes.

Incan Civilization

Incan Roads Possessing neither horses, wheeled vehicles, nor a system of writing, authorities nevertheless managed to keep in extremely close touch with developments throughout the empire.

Other remarkable achievements in engineering included the construction of rope suspension bridges

Some nearly 328 ft in length

Among the most impressive features of Incan civilization were vast temples, palaces, fortresses, and public works

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was most likely a royal estate and religious retreat.

The houses had steep thatched roofs and trapezoidal doors; windows were unusual.

The houses, in groups of up to ten gathered around a communal courtyard, or aligned on narrow terraces, were connected by narrow alleys.

At the center were large open squares; livestock enclosures and terraces for growing maize

The terraces stretched around the edge of the city.

The Maya

Of the many pre-Columbian civilizations of the western hemisphere, the Maya civilization alone developed a writing system  they are the only indigenous people of the Americas with a written history.  While only four of their folding-bark books survived the fanatical purges of the Spanish priests, their writings in stucco, stone and pottery remain.  But the voices of the ancient Maya stood silent for centuries, waiting for the advances in decipherment made in the past three decades.

In addition to their writing system, they had a calendar system that consisted of a Long Count divided into five cycles In addition to their writing system, they had a calendar system that consisted of a Long Count divided into five cycles

along with a 260 day ritual calendar

365 day solar calendar.

The Mayans developed impressive cities

Many with huge temples

300 AD and 800 AD, the Maya flourished

Then the great Maya centers fell into ruin

abandoned and left to be reclaimed by the surrounding rainforest.

But What Happened?

By the time of the Spanish Conquest the Maya civilization had reverted to scattered city-states. the Maya civilization had reverted to scattered city-states. It was this lack of cohesion that would thwart the Spaniard's attempts to conquer the Maya. It was this lack of cohesion that would thwart the Spaniard's attempts to conquer the Maya. Contrary to the "Divide and Conquer" maxim, it was the Maya’s fractured political structure that thwarted attempts by the Conquistadors to conquer them. Contrary to the "Divide and Conquer" maxim, it was the Maya’s fractured political structure that thwarted attempts by the Conquistadors to conquer them. Cortez could take down the entire Aztec Empire, by simply toppling Tenochttilan. Cortez could take down the entire Aztec Empire, by simply toppling Tenochttilan. But conquest of the Maya would require winning battles with hundreds of individual clans scattered throughout the Yucatan. But conquest of the Maya would require winning battles with hundreds of individual clans scattered throughout the Yucatan. The Spanish easily overcame the major Mayan groups, The Spanish easily overcame the major Mayan groups, although the Mexican government did not subdue the last independent communities until although the Mexican government did not subdue the last independent communities until 1901.

What could have happened?

Theories Include: over-population, over-population, extensive warfare, extensive warfare, revolt of the farmer/laborer class, revolt of the farmer/laborer class, or any number of devastating natural disasters. or any number of devastating natural disasters.

We may never know what happened.