Army Ranks and Promotion (Aztec History)
2024 ж. 17 Мам.
962 842 Рет қаралды
The Aztec army was highly organized and featured an elaborate career path to advance up the ranks. Today we will be taking a look at what it took to rise to the top as a Jaguar warrior and beyond!
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Documentary Credits:
Research: MajoraZ and Hunter Itzkowitz
Script: Invicta
Artwork: Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing, Aztec Codices
Narration: Invicta
Editing: Invicta
Music: ICentury
Bibliography:
"Aztec Warfare" by Ross Hassig
"Armies of the Aztec and Inca Empires" by Ian Heath
"Aztec, Mixtec and Zapotec Armies" by Osprey Publishing
"Aztec Warrior" by Osprey Publishing
Hello! I'm one of the people who helped do research and script feedback on the video, and I thought i'd make a comment clarifying on a few things that we couldn't fit into the video. The first is regarding Jaguar soldiers, as well as Jaguar suits in general. In the video it is noted that soldiers who captured 4 enemies in battle would be able to wear a Jaguar Tlahuitzli, separate from actual Jaguar Soldiers, which as an elite warrior society which was, at minimum, open to those who who had captured 5 or more enemies as well as other deeds (In fact I don;t think we noted that for the elite orders, the number of captives captured was just the bare minimum entry requirements, they did not accept everybody who met that bar). However, some sources say that the Jaguar and Eagle orders only required 4 captives. It's possible that 4 captive soldiers reciciving jaguar suits, as depicted in the codex mendoza, might instead merely be showing that specific hypothetical indivual rising through the ranks and being entered into the Jaguar Order in that part of the manuscript, and that the Jaguar Tlahuitzli's weren't given to all 4 rank soldiers. I also came across one source alleging that the entire concept of Jaguar and Eagle orders was a misunderstanding of Nahuatl figures of speech, with "Eagles and Jaguars" being a symbolic, allegorical phrase referring to crougauous soldiers and military might (these sorts of double/dual allegories are common in Nahuatl poetry), and also noting how, in contrast to Jaguar suits being common in Aztec manuascripts and tribute rolls, Eagle tlahuitzli's are much, much rarer. Unforantely, I do not have access to the work this source cited for this claim so I wasn't able to look into it more. Also worth noting that allegedly, commoners who managed to enter the jaguar order via merit would be given suits made from actual jaguar skins, wheras the nobles would have the more prestigious, fine suits made from cloth and feathers (commoner jaguar/eagles order member would also have their own, less presitgious barracks), but i'm not sure how this plays into the whole issue of 4 captive soldiers having jaguar suits, or which they would have worn. There's somewhat of a similar discrepancy regarding Mesoamerican cotton armor, or Ichcahuipilli: One source noted that only "officiers" wore this, which is odd, considering the ubiquity of it in manuscripts and the rank-progression page of the codex mendoza showing a single captive rank soldier (even a novice no captive priest acting as a junior combatnat/porter) wearing one. But then again, the page does show a 3 captive soldier with one, an odd choice considering that the 2 rank soldier below him is wearing a full Tlahuitzli suit (Presumbly 3 captive soldiers could also wear tlahuitzli, as the tribute roll section of the Mendoza shows sets of gear where the butterfly back banner is paired with Tlahuitzli, as seen in the video) which is more prestigious then a sole Ichcahuipilli. It's possible that what looks like an Ichcahuipilli for the single captive/junior soldier is in fact not Ichcahuipilli (which was essentially gambeson), but merely a cotton/cloth tunic, which the same source noting the Ichcahuipilli was exclusive to officiers. However, most sources not them as Ichcahuipilli speffically, so we ended up saying that with a caveat in the video. Even if these junior soldiers are wearing simple tunics rather then Ichcahuipilli, I am fairly certain that it would be open to 1 captive soldiers and up, at least, so "officier" in this context probably just means "soldiers who have taken captives". Regarding sandals, in the video we state that novice soldiers would wear sandals, and indeed, the rank progression page of the codex mendoza shows a novice warrior-priest (the codex mendoza confusingly shows a warrior-priest as a porter and novice on the same page as non-priest soldiers, wheras the priest's military rank progression is shown on a seperate page; so the images of porters and novices from the Mendoza in the video are showing warrior-priests in particular, even when paired with non-priest ranks) with no captives with sandals, yet the 1 captive soldier has no sandals, nor does the 1 and 2 captive warrior priests, and some sources note that sandals would only be available to those who have captured a few captives. One source noted that sandals were restricted to 2 captive soldiers due to sumptuary aws by Montezuma II, so presumably this is one of the causes of the discrepancy and prior to his they would have been open to lower ranks. Likewise, the Leader of Youths (Yaotequihuah, Invicta forgot to include the Nahuatl term) and Great Captains, as titles, were specifically instituted by Montezuma II. Finally, leadership roles are, quite frankly, a real mess between sources. The War council is a good example of this. In the video, it is said that the Tlacocohcalcatl and Tlilancalqui are two permanant council memebers wheras the Tlacateccatl and other spots were rotating, which is certainly one possbility, but in reality it's more that our sources entirely contradict each other here: The former two are merely the only two consistent titles. Depending on what source you read, the others might be composed of the Tlacateccatl, Ezhuahuacatl (""Raining Blood"), C/Quauhnochtli (Eagle Cactus Fruit), Ticocyahuacatl (Master of the Bowl of Fatigue), Cihuacoatl ("Snake Woman") Uitznauatlailotlac, Pochtecatlailotlac, etc. To further complicate matters, many of these positions, as well as others, are variously said to occupy other sets of councils or leadership groups as titles for Generals/commanding officiers, top constables/enforcers (which seems to have both had a logistical military role of some sort as well as enforcing judicial sentences) as well as for various judicial positions on the judicial councils at different levels of the Aztec court system: The , Ezhuahuacatl in particular for example, depending on what source you read (or even where inside a single source), is either on the war council, as an executioner, as well as an appleiate judge, and while NOT being listed as some of the others, as well as some saying s given role was exclusive to commoers while others to nobles, meaning that it's not simply a matter of that title having all 3 roles. Many of these titles are also listed as examples non-bureaucratic, individualized titles gifted to prestigious warriors or individuals for particular accomplishments. Suffice to say that this is simply an area of the Aztec military structure and administrative government where more information is needed: Maybe there wasn't formal structure here and each person was just elected/selected for any given position, hence those indiuvalized title grants? perhaps each title was on multiple councils/positions or was eligable as such, with just one or two sources having errors. Finally, It should be noted that the war council, on top of being the Tlatoani's military advisors, was said to vote on the next tlatoani in line, and be in charge of a set of armoories inside Tenochtitlan (hence the "Master of the house of X" titles); and a small error in the video: It is specifically the Tlacateccatl, and somewhat less commonly, also the Tlacocohcalcatl which were said to be the highest ranks one could aheicive through normal military progression, not they and the Tilancalqui; but as mentioned, in practice these spots were seemingly always occupied by members of the royal family, with the Tlacocohcalcatl always being the next Tlatoani in line. Other sources claimed they were specifically pooled from members fo the Shorn one order, as well, which contradicts the normal military progression thing too. Also, the feathered tunics/skirts that the Tlatoanis and other high command positions exclusively wore was called "Ehuatl". ALso, while not listed in the biblography, another source that was used was "The Essential Codex Mendoza", and some of the art was also by Dorling Kindersley publishing. Wew! With that all said, I am happy to answer further questions anybody may have, though keep in mind stuff like Tactics, battle organization, expansion strategies, arms and armor are planned for future videos, as is stuff on religion, sacrifice, and sanitation, plumbing, medicine, and herbology. Still happy to answer questions on those things, but I'll likely not be as in depth as I otherwise would be as a result.
Thanks for the plethora of info. I really love all this coverage of Mesoamerica because it's not something many people seem to know about (at least in the USA). Also, I hope your comment gets pinned so everybody else can read it without it getting lost in the sea of comments.
@@windsgrace688 It actually was pinned before, i'm not quite sure what happened.
Very interesting! Loved the read!
We need a list of those Aztec titles. "Raining Blood"!
@@MajoraZ But you didn't clarify that jaguar were not jaguars but "ocelots" ;)
European: "I am a Baron, what is thy title?" Aztec: "MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARKNESS, CUTTER OF MEN."
@@SlurryNoises >implying its our fault that deseases exists.
@@Auloss >taking it seriously and totally not seeing its poking fun
Now check out my leopard print onesie.
European: shooter of natives, taker of lands, seeker of gold.
European noble titles could also get pretty feckin convoluted.
It's like a game, with the unlocking of hairstyles, outfits and whatnot...
And a real troop tree at that. Surprised some guy hasn't made a M&B mod already.
perks too, lots of perks, and all the ranking glory you could dream for.
I really think mesoamerican cultures are underrepresented in the media in general. You could make a very neat action/adventure or hack and slash game solely based on the posibilities of the combat system, a level design focused on jungles, swamps, mointains and cities with high temples would be really interesting to explore, not to mention the rich mithology of Mexicas and Mayans to inspire some epic final bosses.
@@Bluemarz9 Look up Aztez.
@Restless Prove it.
Dude the Aztec literally sound like a video game in real life. Quests and everything
It gets better. If an attacking army captures the defender's city temple, the entire city surrenders immediately.
@@AnonEMus-cp2mn lol that is awesome
That boii khan if I am not mistaken, the creator of God of War said don’t be surprise if you see Kratos anywhere in Mesoamérican mythology in later games 😎
@@jio-lito Oh noice
Kaibil Balam I hope they figure a way to put in a native Mesoamerican as a playable character.
As a teacher, I approve of the title "Ruler of Youths".
they are basically satanic war like people, submitted to kings and captains that are under the whims of fallen entities contacted trough possessed priests or drug induced disgusting visions...
@@ramichahin2 weren't your ancestors were also satanic warlike people motivated by a goddamn wretched souls in the sky known from a posessed man from betlehem? Yes. They who wiped out millions of lives and destroyed a thriving civilization in a matter of decades.
@joseaca 5 emus... they are the only real opponent you will find in australia. That and venimous thingies
Difference with Aztec education is you have to be creative to win battles so they likely didn't spend all their time repressing this attribute.
@Suaminya Kirana catholicism is satanic. I am not a catholic and I exposed the vatican for the liars they are, follow True Biblical Scripture, not the vatican. Your ignorance of truth is a great shame unto you, I know I triggered you with Truth, but that is not a reason to start attacking me with weak minded lies from Satan. Repent and prepare, or perish with babylon (you chose your camp).
Lvl. 3 Crook Equipment: Loin cloth Cape Sandals Pointy stick Worn out Shield Lvl. 50 MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS Equipment: Skeletal body suit Skeletal demon helmet War sandals Hardened Shield with quetzal feathers Macuahuitl with obsidian incrustations Obsidian knife
I will be your first reply
and thats how the mafia works
Interesting how our ancestors had a different vision of war. Nobles and the elites were at the frontline while commoners were support troops.
Until the europeans came
@@GoldKunai pro gamer strat is to shoot everyone in the face with guns
@@GoldKunai No they fought that way to for the most part until guns. Warrior nobility is s thing across many many cultures.
Dude this is no exclusivity of Aztecs. Romans and medieval French knights also did that.
@@victuz I dont know about Romans, it was until the age of kings that you could see actual emperors and kings leading the charge.
Master of the House of Darts? Master of the House of Shadows? Cutter of Men? Those are some metal office titles.
Perfect Black metal song names
I thought this was an aztec army, not a ninja clan
He wore a helmet fashioned after *skeletal demons*
Aztec Parties usually involved intense drumming, lots of psychedelic mushrooms, and the mass sacrifice of thousands of captives. They were more metal than the wildest of metal fantasies ever even thought of being.
Lol when something is this funny ita got to be bs 😂
King's War Council: - Cutter of Men - Master of the House of Darkness - mAsTEr Of ThE hOuSE oF DaRTs
Hey man, those war darts were freakin' ruthless, skewer's a person with brutal efficiency!
I think its so cool that aztec warriors werent praised by just killing enemy warriors but instead capturing them alive, which i imagine is way harder. and that is truly impressive, not only to best someone trying to kill you in close combat but to take them down without killing them
they didn't fought for territories. their main goal was capturing great warriors for human sacrifice.
Not to mention the Aztec's culture of human sacrifice was very well known to their neighbours. You would've had to capture a soldier who knew full well his only choices in defeat were death now, or horrible death later.
@@Digitaaliklosetti it was the norm in all the tribes of that area in that time, it wasn’t just exclusive to the Aztecs
@@cachifli870 They did bro. Most of their sacrifices were war prisoners that they captured. Basically everything revolved around sacrificing people which is why capturing enemies was praised.
@@cachifli870 any Mexican who knows his heritages history knows Aztecs sacrificed POWs. It’s in historical record, it’s on glyphs, and it’s taught by history professors all over the world especially in Mexico. Cmon dude.
This is the type of progression in rank you want to see! New armour, new weapons and more decorations the higher you go in reputation and status.
Had better progression than some pay to play games.
Congratulations!! You are one of the few people in youtube to make the distinction between the many cultures in Mexico and Central America. Thank you for being among the few who actually give the most accurate picture of what was left of The Mexican HIstory by the spanish conquistadors.
Interesting how you used upper case letters for the Mexican part and lower case letters for the Spanish part.
Conquistadors ? You mean the Catholic Church, all of these codices were written by Tlaxcallan(PUEBLA) converts to Catholicism. Friars from western Europe(italy,portugal,spain) were teaching the concepts of European art and Calligraphy to these Nahautl(central Mexicans) converts. The converts were writing down the Nahautl language in Latin format and most of them were Tlaxcalan so this is the Mexica depiction told through the Tlaxcallans. Unfortunately! you are one of those youtube commentators who can not make a distinction between Spain(Andalusia,Castile) , the Catholic church and Meso-American nation states that were not just the Mexica, do you even know that NORTH MEXICO is very different from Central Mexico? Most Mexican History is Chilango/Central Mexico history. History for North Mexicans begins in the 1800s , in this time North Mexico is ruled by the Apache,Huastec,Chichimec-Zacatecos. stop spreading misinformation, this video is not about Chichimecas, it's about the ancestors to the Capitalinos (CDMX), and thus is not your history.
The weren’t called Aztecs they where called the mexica.
Dustin Heath it’s the mexica.
And we can all give thanks that such a desperately evil and depraved society was brought down and then brought up to civilization and truth. 'Master of the house of darkness, cutter of men'. Killing tens-of-thousands and ripping the hearts out of the remainder.
We need an RPG based on this history and their mythology
Assassins creed pleaaaase!!!
@@franciscojimenezcervantes1982 no no no, how about something new something better(edit:not better than the Aztecs better than assassin's Creed) personally I'd love a tps or fps third person slasher or first person shooter with ranks and stuff
I’ve had an idea of a cool animated show taking place in an Aztec setting and the main character is a jaguar warrior who has the power to shapeshift into a jaguar and could have jaguar like powers accompanied with other supernatural beings such as Aztec gods like Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, tlaloc etc. We’ve seen many things like this about grecoroman mythology and history so I think it would be cool for there to be something based on Aztecs
@@Bazzable i was thinking the conquistadors are the templars while your an aztec and parkouring through dense forests and old temples would be cool
@@waterboytiger yee that sounds good
We need a Total War game set in the mesoamericas in this era. C.A. make it happen!
Crusader Kings II, Sunset Invasion.
@Dread Master Varun Oh please don't... Sunset invasion is the only DLC you should not get. Better that Total War make an America version where you can play the final years of Inca/Aztec and North American tribes similar to Fall of the Samurai.
u got mid 2 dlc 4 that
Fire Emblem: Aztlán
Final boss is the Spanish
Hmm Invicta could you perhaps make a video on Aztec Engineering feats they achieved quite a bit in such a short time.
I'd love to see that! Invicta's video on Tenochtitlan delves into it a bit, but a more dedicated view at aztec (or maybe mesoamerican in general) engineering and architecture would be neat.
Their human sacrifice rituals turns off many people, and thus tunes them out from their actual genius innovations. Its funny how many of the same people who look down on human sacrifice, also happen to glorify the ritual sacrifice of a blonde haired, blue eye , Arab speaking, middle eastern, Jew....
@@mr.e3894 A lot of history is unfortunately overly centered around Europeans and Christianity... Nobody ever talks about the amazing things accomplished in other parts of the world like the Americas, the Middle East, the Polynesians, or Africa. And when we do talk about them it's often from the standard of European society... Medical science in Africa was centuries ahead of Europes. Polynesians sailed across vast areas of the open Pacific ocean. And don't even get me started on the first Persian Empire. And that human sacrifice question was actually brought up in Spain at the time in an argument about the morality of wiping out the Aztecs at the time...
@@CollinMcLean I completely agree with you. I am Mexican American. According to my DNA results, I am roughly about 50% Native ans 50% European. I am also considered very " light skinned " . I say this because there are other folks who are much more darker than me, and are probably a lot more Native than me, and yet, we are always called " Hispanic " or " Latino " ....all European centered terms. The Spanish had a strong racial caste system, where the European was the " gold standard " . And its interesting to see how 500 years later, its effects are still very much felt today. The more I dig into history, the more I fall in love with my indigenous roots. I loved how you brought up Polynesians, the most underrated navigators of all time! It has been theorized that they perhaps even made it to the Pacific coast of the Americas CENTURIES before the Europeans did! But because they didnt have a " written " language, they get pushed aside.
@@mr.e3894 I am very much Gaelic and Germanic... Swedish and German to be precise... And as much as I love the Norse and their naval and navigational accomplishments such as developing the revolutionary clinker style of ship building... They pale in comparison to the wide reach of the Polynesians who navigated vast open oceans while the Norse hopped from island to island. Which is still impressive but it's the difference between the open world exploration of the Witcher and the more linear God of War 4. And Africa's history is no less incredible but it was destroyed by European colonization and gets so muddled in the European view of history that we've relegated an entire continent with various complex cultures and histories to the stereotypical and uniform image of underdeveloped tribesmen even though they were far from it because our own views and standards are very much European.
Its so sad that so much knowledge has been erased.
Actually, the Mexicas are one of the best studied pre-colombian cultures. Yes, so much knowledge and tradition has been lost and I am mad at the Spaniards for all this book burning... But it could be worse! It *was* actually in other parts of "The New World". I'm really into ancient andean cultures and I can tell myself, it can be a NIGHTMARE to find some not-burned, relatively well-preserved info on them. Yeah, thanks Pizarro. hate the guy
@@stanislawwitkowicz918 they didnt just burn books. They put a bunch of their history on gold sheets, and the spanish stole and melted them. I've lost more than half of my ancestors history.
@@zeus7002 Lol try being of P'urépecha descent were 90% of our people were killed, raped and murdered. We didn't leave behind grand pyramids and because of this there isn't much know of them outside of Mexico due to lack of funding. We passed stories orally. However it puzzles me because of the fact that the P'urépecha people were the most advanced and had the most sophisticated military and social structure. They beat the Mexica in battle for 60 years. The Mexica we're never able to beat them. 1478 the ruling Aztec lord, Axayacatl, marched against the Tarascans. He found his army of 24,000 confronted by an opposing force of more than 40,000 Tarascan warriors. A ferocious battle went on all day. Many of the Aztec warriors were badly wounded by arrows, stones, spears, and sword thrusts. The following day, the Aztecs were forced to retreat, having suffered the loss of more than half of their elite warriors
@@inspectorconscious2388 its crazy how all of that came crashing down because of fuggin small pox, 90% of native poplations were wiped out before europeans knew the mexicas even existed, it wasant a fair fight to begin with.
@@inspectorconscious2388 yeah man our ancestors were badass. To bad we were so divided we couldn't beat the Spaniards.
I went to cdmx this weekend, they have an amazing museum of anthropology filled with awesome ancient stuff.
that museum is dope
Aztecs are one of the most badass warrior civilizations imo
They were brutal as well. One of the reasons they were defeated, all other groups and servants of the aztecs joined the spaniards to defeat them.
The Assyrians would eat them alive.
@@ericktellez7632 Actually, the Aztecs were able to command much support from their subject peoples, even up to the siege of the capital. THey tried to break the siege on more than one occasion, something that greatly worried the Spaniards. Even their nemesis, the Tlaxcaltecs, had doubts about siding with the spaniards and Cortes had to murder some of their leaders to insure their loyalty to the Spaniards.
@@ericktellez7632 why are you bringing up negativity? He just said aztecs were badass and they were 🤷🏽♂️ they looked dope
@@Reyes-Latinos Negativity? They were just a bunch of brutes and their whole culture was around being as brutal as you can.
"Master of the House of Darness" and "Cutter of Men" Why can't we have this much metal in our official titles today?
TIL: Aztecs invented the onesie.
I know that you are joking, but that’s because our modern culture isn’t descended from Aztec culture in any way.
Prodigi50 I’m gonna assume you are American (as in from the US) and if anything the Aztecs are more “American” than any European. The Aztec are from the Americans and genetically are nearly identical to Natives from what is now the USA. Also the Aztec ppl are thought to have originated from the Southwestern US/Northen Mexico.
JeremySpaceInvaders Didn’t say they were less American. My point is that because of disease, genocide, and segregation modern US culture isn’t really influenced by the Aztecs. Mexican culture has a decent amount of Aztec influence.
I would hate if we had these metal titles. If i went to the DMV and met "The waster of time" accompanied by "The brewer of sub-par coffee" i would instantly turn around... only to be met by "The owner of the rusty hyundai" I can only imagine what a shitty title I'd get as a biologist. "The peeper of cells" or "The master of the house of E. coli" doesn't interest me one bit.
Loot box purchased. You have obtained nose rings and jaguar pattern suit
This is the most fascinating breakdown of Aztec military culture I've ever seen. I've replayed this several times already.
"Cutter of men" now that's a metal name!
It makes me happy to see such a good video about the Aztecs, cheers from Mexico
...some sources claim, that there was a special unit of left-handed soldiers, wielding the club with the left and the shield with their right hand, which made it difficult for a right-handed fighter to defend against...!
@Det Nine Makes sense to me. A left hander would be used to fighting right handers but right handers probably rarely encountered left handed fighters.
@@jnovoa1 just look at baseball... Left handed pitchers and batters
Same with boxing and southpaws(lefties)
@@spidey-tron7827 South-Jaguar_paws? lol
@@jnovoa1 IN the novel Aztec, by Gary Jennings, there's a scene where they discuss that before a ritual gladiatorial fight.
I assume that not only would getting a higher rank mean that you had been good at fighting, but that you'd also become more and more of a target with each leveling up. So the tough guys must have been REALLY tough to not only fight well in battles but also bear the brunt of enemy attacks, since they were now high status captures and would get swarmed by enemy combatants in each battle.
"...few sources remaining...." Thaaaaaaaanks Spaaaaaaaain.
Actually, the codices from which we have info about the mesoamerican people are Spanish in origin, just search for "Codex" and you'll see. So Technically, Unironically thank Spain for knowing this.
@@taintedtaylor2586 so why are there few sources in the first place though?
@@hugzpls What do you mean? I don't understand your question, but, the Aztecs didn't have written language, so the only sources of their culture, language, pantheon, whatever, comes from the Spanish, you can actually see that the Spaniards made an effort to document the people that lived in Mexico, after all, they were going to be subjects of the crown and later Catholics.
@@taintedtaylor2586 What ??? look into the codex Borgia.
@@taintedtaylor2586 When i was at school during history class i always heard my teachers say that Spain after the conquest ordered to burn all remaining "books" that were evil (Thanks Jesus :v) or forbidden for the common people
I've always loved that cultures, seperated by oceans and mountains, always found a way to have an elite soldier. The best of the best, a person who would dominate in war
Beautyful, isnt? Every civilization had their great soldiers, and each one was made at base of something, elitism. The best of the best, soldiers that caused fear by mere presence.
Do you think that the Aztec's type of Empire (having vassals rather flat - out conquering) was a result of the fact that since they had no beast of burdens, troops couldn't go too far (especially considering the thick jungle)? I suspect that it would significantly constrain the size of their empire but I wonder if it also affected the type of empire they had since it would be hard to maintain control over wide areas when it's hard to move around. Anyway man, thanks for making another great video on a lesser known but awesome subject. Looking forward to more.
could be. if that is the case then most likely the only way to move faster is by using rivers if it was possible. depending if the river is slow enough to go both up and down the stream.
Since it would influence infrastructure and ease of communication you may be correct
The aztecs had small paved roads and some kind of relay runner system... The myth says that the Tlatoani ate fresh fish from the gulf of Mexico.
I think it's pretty likely: That sort of hands off approach to imperalism is very, very common in Mesoamerican history, albiet the specifics varied: Some preffered to install rulers in conquered cities rather then set them up as tributaries, for example, but in general some sort of method of indirect rule and political influence rather then direct governence was the norm for large Mesoamerican states and empires. The lack of beasts of burden had a few other cascading effects on Mesoamerican militarism and geopolitics: Sieges were rarer as well (though the Aztec had a unique alternative, flower wars), since as all supplies on military campaigns needed to be carried by porters, who also needed their own supplies, setting a hard cap on how long you could be out on campaigns before needing to resupply., vs pack animals being able to graze. A larger emphasis was put on armies outnumbering their enemies then in Eurasia due to the lack of Calvary, and as a result of all of this, warfare needed to be seasonal: Soldiers would go on campaign in winters, but would return home to tend to farms in the summer; and said farming was also all the more criticsl since the lack of cattle or other large domesticated mammals as a food source meant that Mesoamerican diets were more reliant on crops. This stuff is something I and Invicta will likely get into in future videos.
What you say makes sense to me. As a side note, the heartland of the aztec empire (central Mexico) is more of a forested terrain, jungles are in southern Mexico.
Hi, I'm a Mexican archaeologist, I like your videos, and would like getting this information to a wider audience by adding Spanish subtitles. Can I help you out with that chore? By the way, thank you for adding your sources on the description, it helps on fact-checking.
I love how elaborate their armors are. Those decorations are such a sight to behold. Unfortunately they are intimately connected with the ritualized ways in which the Aztecs fought. ...But then again that is why I appreciate them despite the impracticability in our understanding of warfare. Perhaps when their costumes died out concurrently with their empire and world view that their way of life truly died. A culture lost, stripped facets by facets until they are almost incomprehensible to even their own descendants down the centuries.
Pretty much on the level of medieval gambeson.
@@abrahamdavidgonzalezgonzal364 Gambesons were extremely practical and effective so I don't see the correlation.
Their armor actually was practical. We';ll be doing a video on arms and armor in the future so this will get clarified on more there, but Ichcahuipilli was essentially gambeson, which was widely used as armor throughout eurasia. Contrary to what you might think, cloth can be very protective, especially when thickly padded. The full body multi-colored suits made from feathers also had a thick (albiet not multi-layered like Ichcahuipilli)cloth base, and was worn over the Ichcahuipilli, so that was a further layer of protection. Spanish sources note that these suits were, in fact, not trivial to penetrate or cut, presumably the overlapping spines of the feathers helped cushion and deflect/glance off blows. I think it's a pretty cool example of how a society that didn't use metal for armor managed to adapt and come up with alternate solutions. Also, Aztec/Mesoamerican warfare being largely ritualistic or non-pragmatic is no longer the historical consensus. Warfare obviously had ritualistic components, and there were specific battles more designed to be exclusively ritualistic, called Flower Wars (though even these had realpolitk uses as extended sieges), but in normal wars over territory, resources, and defense, warfare was definitely pragmatic and people were fighting for their lives, though if the opportunity was available to capture an enemy rather then kill them, such as if they were cornered and surrounded, injured, etc, they would do so to sacrifice them later.
that was their life, they thought a end of the known world was coming so they needed to sacrifice people from their surrounding territories to apaciguate the gods
My name has been taken that doesn’t justify the mass murder of millions
The ending bummed me out. An entire civilization wiped out. In reality, two continent’s histories wiped out. Though I would like to say I am not blaming anyone, I just think it’s a sad thing. So much knowledge, culture, and stories lost to time.
I don't know, at least for the aztecs. Imagine if we saw the nazis the same way we saw the aztecs.
@@andreascovano7742 fair point, but this dont change anything, the diference as the aztecs are a culture/civilization, an the nazi a ideia/politics (they still are germans after all)
Not just the Aztecs, all the other civilizations were destroyed by a variety of things. It all boils down to time, though. Time destroys everything.
@@andreascovano7742 There is an important distinction between the Aztecs and the Nazis. The Aztecs were supported and driven by complex religious beliefs and the need to acquire captives for sacrifice (maybe hundreds). The nazis sought to destroy everybody else, starting with the Jews. They also had no bounds, no limits....
There were not wiped out, nahuatl is still spoken and many of those indigenous cultures have survived.
Would love a video about the less known states and neighbours of the Triple Alliance. Mayans, Tlaxcalans and Tarascans are known to an extent, but info about Tututepec, Teotitlan, Yopitzinco or all the city-states in the north west are scarce.
I'm not aware of what good sources would be for Yopitzinco or Teotitlan, but there' a fair amount written about Tututepec, as it's history and the conquests of it's founder, the Mixtec warlord 8-Deer-Jaguar-Claw, are documented in a few surviving Mixtec books that escaped the Spanish book burning. Go check out "In the Realm of 8 Deer", "Stories in Red and Black", “Mixtecs, Zapotec, and Chatinos”, “The Mixtecs of Oaxaca: Ancient times to the Present.”, and “After Monte Alban: Transformation and Negotiations in Oaxaca, Mexico"
@@MajoraZ I know some of the books and the 8-Deer-Jaguar-Claw story. Still i think it could be an interesting video about less know city states, places like El Cerrito, Tonallan, Colliman etc.
Bartosz Dymarek yesss Mayans yessss, Mesoamerica series!!
I would like to see a video on the Tarascans
They're called Mayas not Mayans. Mayan is a term used to describe the language or culture, not the people, the term Mayas would be used to describe the people
There’s a lost scripture and the words are “watching them fight in battle camp is so beautiful, they’re colors are immense, is like a rainbow of warriors there, so many colors”.
As a Mexican, thank you for making this, I think that our culture is as awesome as others, and seeing a foreigner talk about it is amazing. Keep it up!
Isnt your culture spanish?
@@RandomgamingholstCoolgaming us Mexicans dont care about Spain for the most part. We unite as one with our indigenous brothers under "la raza".
I’d be grinding for that jaguar suit 👀🔥
thanks for widening my horizon
And also your tight asshole
Aztecs would make an amazing video game
You are the first person who gets the information almost one hundred percent accurate; therefore, you are 93% with the fact you have. But I'm impressed, and am honored as an Mexica to tell you that you are legitimate. Thank you for studying my race and tribe.
Tu es Mexica? No chico?
You are not a mexica, mexica were exterminated by the conquistadors, you are descendant of one of those tribes that pay tribute to the Aztecs.
@@osiruchos707 wrong they were not wiped out and disease did most of the damage we still have their blood in us like it or not
Those claiming the things that they do not know, or don't understand are in the mind set of those races who colonized our country and continent. But it's good that everyone thinks that we Mexica are wiped out, because when time is right; we will take back what is ours. And if you don't have any evidence for what you say in the replies, then don't talk. For your ignorance swallows you whole melinches. Say what you want, because I got my DNA tested. I know who I am, it's a pity that you don't. So keep telling lies like your societies does best, because your education is obsolete as well as your country's innovations. You will forever be stuck in your systematic societies; that turn you into their tools. You'll never make any major advancements. Your industry will be your doom fools, because once you seek and learn to expect the truth. Then you will always be free.
@@osiruchos707 the Nahuas (ethnicity of the Aztecs) still exist, though.
Master of the House of Darts, Master of the House of Darkness, Cutter of Men - "Are we the baddies?"
Seriously though, thank you for making these! A video about the purépecha/ tarascan state would be amazing! They were easily on par with the Aztecs militarily, enough to keep a stalemate with them throughout history. It'd be cool to see where they differ
This is starting to be my favorite channel on youtube, thank you good sir for your Content.
-be me -lv 3 soldier crook -scare enemy king's bodyguard with my might "Reeeeeee" battle cry and capture king. -Now be Lv 35 aztec boss eating jaguar tendies everyday, -TFW that's how mesoamerica work.
ma man
this is why I scroll thru comments
Will dedicate the next 50 beating hearts to the Feathered Serpent in your honor, OP.
"jaguar tendies" ok then
Thanks for all the aztec + mesoamerican content!
Otomi were a distinct ethnic group and served as elite mercenaries. They abandoned the Mexica in the final battles against the Spanish/Tlaxcaltec.
@Crimea _ River yes, the first ones and the most loyals. Only indians who received the right of conquest (conquered New Mexico) and old Christians. Kept the oath of fidelity to Spain even after Mexico's independence from Spain. Because of that Mexican Republican government punished them trough decades.
Correct, but there WAS also a elite military order for the Mexica of Tenochtitlan named after them, as is stated in the video.
This is very fascinating. Thank you
Fascinating !! Keep up the good work!!!
Your content is so acurate and nuanced to a point of emerson. I salute you sir. Thank you and everyone involved so much for the great work. Thank you thank you thank you, teacher.
Love the animations on the videos! Always appreciate a video from invicta!
Thank you for your amazing and interesting videos. I love this untalked sides of history
Total War Aztecs anyone?
There is already an DLC of maybe Medieval II I believe.
Johnathan Wilson lol 😂 totally
Im in
Thank you for doing this video. I love your passion for it.
Youre videos have gone from pretty damn good, to top of the line. Puttin the bell on from now on!
Thank you so much for this video! It is refreshing to view anything related to the Inca, Mayan and Aztec civilizations :)
It's mexica not aztec and was the unique warrior civilitation in America.
Still no Halberdier upgrade tho
Lol
Wow...
Yeah but at least they’ve got Garland Wars
Lmao
+4 attack and op monks, tho.
Great video and info please keep them coming
Hey Invicta, I have been watching the hell out of your videos these past two days and as a fellow comment creator, I have to say you really inspire me. I love the direction this video takes at clearing up misinformation about my culture's history and realizing it's complexity. It's nice to see someone idolize the mesoamerican culture when most dismiss it and I just want you to know that you got yourself another subscriber today
Oh and I also found you because of the great work you do on Total War: Rome 2
I think cutter of men is a wrong translation of "tlacateccatl". If that were the meaning, it should be tlacatequini. Tlacateccatl is the inhabitant of Tlacatecco, which means "The place of the lord of men". Tlacatl, person; teuctli, lord; co, at, general locative.
@Cegesh That is a literal translation. Nahuatl is often confusing if understood literally. Like being thirsty, amiqui, means to water-die. A more figurative, but I believe equally valid translation would be "He of the place of noble men".
Cegesh why not? It's explaining his position amongst lords of men
But Cutter of Men sounds more badass so let's stick with that.
@Cegesh Sorry, I think I didn't express myself correcly. Tlacatecco is the place, and tlacateccatl is the inhabitant of such place. Whenever you see a place ending in -co or -c in nahuatl, that just means "At, on, place of". And you construct the denonym by subtituting that ending with -catl for singular and -cah for plural. For instance you have Mexihco "At the place of the god of war" from Mexihtli, an alternative name for their primary god (Also known as Huitzilopochtli). The inhabitant of such place would be mexihcatl, for the singular and mexihcah, for the plural. You might have heard of them. So mexihcah means "The inhabitants of the place of the god of war".
So 'Garrison Commander' basically.
you just gave ubisoft next Assassins Creed game idea
bugisoft
fantastic as always thank you
Wow, you guys rock! Awesome video!
The Shorn Ones are all level 100 mafia bosses
That's how mesoamerica works.
I would love to be able to see all the old civilizations in their prime, the Aztecs, the ancient Greeks, the ancient Egyptians.. just imagine being able to walk in their cities and see their daily activities.
That was a great video and very informative. Most people love to talk about the mexica empire without real knowledge of it so I thank you for speaking with understanding and patience to explain the complex systems the mexica nation held up.
So cool. Good job dude that was very informative!
Furries stretch back further then I realized.
LoL what the hell?
Except these furries dressed up as animals to instill fear into the hearts of their enemies, to so drag them up to a sacrificial altar. Kinda makes the modern furries look tame in comparison.
@CrocutaIV If modern furries did that, I think they'd be much more respected. You dont mess with someone who can actually claim to be able to maul you like an animal.
As far back as when humans started to idolize animals.
Imagine working fields and you terrifying screams of aztec deathwhistles blowing like crazy, and seeing a giant birdman strike one of your friends and drag him away behind the brushes. fuck that lmao
I wish to thank you so much for this beautifully done and accurate historical take of my peoples past! I cannot go on and stress just how much this information has been misunderstood and misunderstood and to see that the truth is now coming into light is a sight to see! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love your videos and I have commented before, I apologize if I may have been sharp at the tongue but as you yourself have experienced now and understand that our culture and way of life is still misunderstood in the media. You should go and do a video about how we learned the sacred laws of diplomacy from the Toltecs and military from the Tlaxcala people. Than you for passing on our history unbiased and accurate with respect and well! Thank you!
The Aztecs aren't really misunderstood. Most people know the basic and important information about them, and considering how Aztec culture is almost entirely erased due to happenstance and the admittedly unfortunate truth that it simply no longer matters, I'll had to disagree that people's minds about the Aztecs have been tainted by the media. In summary, Aztec history and culture, while interesting, is almost as pointless to learn about as Slavic or Jewish history (two similarly tribal people living in Europe that nobody talks about.) History is about the winners, and society is shaped by those who win.
Ixtaca Yaotl the chances of you having any actual Aztec ancestry is slim to none bud
I love these meso american videos you been making lately keep it up man they are very well made, enjoyable and informative ✊🏾
Very interesting! Thanks for uploading!
Well, I was expecting another generic copy paste bs and a replay of same ol' oversimplistic bits, but you used more obscure sources it seems. bravo, good job, subscribed.
Not really obscure. Those are the primary sources if you want some actual research. Codex Mendoza, Historia general de las cosasa de la Nueva España and so on are quite known in mesoamerican studies.
@@Ottmar555 To the average person, they are very obscure, unfortunately. They should be more well know, but they aren't. A big part of it I think is how much of the english translations (for the few that even have english translations) were only published in the past 4-5 decades, and indeed many of the manuscripts and primary sources were only rediscovered in the past 200 years. This means that most of these sources aren't public domain and must be purchased, and due to their niche nature many are expensive and out of print. I probably spent 200$ on books just to consult for research on the video, and that was after I had to go through and decide to give up on many due to the cost: If I had bought every source I wanted, while still sailing the high seas with an eyepatch for those I could, I still would have had to drop like 2000$ on books: Sahagun's Historia as you mention, for example, is like 800$ for all volumes. It's a shame, because due to that and my inability to read Spanish/Nahuatl, the video isn't as comprehensive as it could have been.
@@MajoraZ I could help you translate, if you need. I am a native spanish speaker and have studied classical nahuatl for some time now. Some of those sources are available for free with spanish translation.
Scrubadub☝️ the answer is. This is different from what we get taught, a naked man with a club is our image of them
@@Ottmar555 You still willing to help me translate Mesoamerican stuff if need be?
Feed that mesoamericana need.
I love the focus on mesoamerica in the last videos. So much new stuff to learn. Keep it up!
thanks for telling us that some info was lost and might be contradictory, instead of making stuff up ! this channel is super dope .
Interesting rank structure, mostly the eagle and jaguar warriors who were like Aztec equivalents to knights/samurai for their nobility and elite status
Awesome video, very informative! I was unaware that orders more prestigious than the Jaguars existed. Would it have been common for a lifer to first spend time in the Jaguars/Eagles before moving onto the Otomies and finally the Shorn Ones? Or would one be essentially locked into an elite order? I'd love to see a similar video on the Incan military.
Thank you for uploading this. I've always been so fascinated.
Excellent work. Very informative and, above all, respectful.
Can you please do a Taping Rebellion Video? So many great characters on the field like Gordon, Ward, Xiucheng, Xiuquan, and Elgin. Millions of millions dead, unbelievable battles. Would love to see that.
You ever gonna finish that siege of Jerusalem series?
Imperialx Warlord I was just thinking about this
He's gonna get tons of anti-semitic comments though if he ever gets around finishing it.
Marc Loui Rivero Why would he get anti Semitic comments for that?
Im guessing because the seige of jerusalem is still ongoing right now
S U P R E M E can confirm, my friend visited Israel last year and he said the Legions are still trying to enter the Temple Mount.
Thank you for this amazing lesson and wonderful research work
@Invicta May I just say that I totally love your intro! Framing the data helps people with critical thinking! More people should frame the information they are like this, to avoid any biases! Take this like!
Nice video, Mexica culture is fascinating
Early furcons were brutal, though often with a similar amount of lost life.
This was one of the most interesting videos i've ever seen!
Thank you for specifying regionality and context! There's too much media that tries to generalise this kind of information. :)
I sense they'll make a game about this. Total War:Aztec?
I might be wrong, but it seems that even by Mesoamerican standards, the Aztecs were extremely concerned with social class and separating the nobles from the filthy commoners, as much as their military appeared to be based on merit. If anything, that's one thing they very much had in common with the Spanish.
i always laugh when aztlan commies try to say aztec society was a socialist utopia free from the evils of capitalism.
Considering it's a warrior society yeah. Lol, just like offciers and grunts in modern armies.
Aztecs and spartans had a lot a like
The Spanish caste system is still in full affect in Mexico sadly. The darker you are the poorer you are perceived, and the whiter the richer. It’s getting better in recent years but check any Mexican tv show. The main characters always look Europeans and the maids are usually darker native looking ppl
@@jeremyjdl713 should be nice to fuck the maids
Very well documented video with pertinent disclaimers when needed, not another pre-chewed topic. Also respectful of the South and Central american history by avoiding amalgam. This video is for sure part of the best KZhead content
Wow this was very insightful and respectful of the culture! Thank you
Anyone know what colleges still offer Jaguar warrior as a career major? Thanks
Imagine how hard it mustve been to capture 5 people at once... like taking on FIVE PEOPLE AT ONCE....
That was amazing and in-depth
Thank you so much telling us about the Aztecs and their army.
The Level 1 Noob The Level 50 MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARKNESS
They’re so extra with these suits
peppermintfoxy nah only if your in constant battle you had to have the uniform to be identified what rank and how strong you where and scared enemies.
Excellent video
Dope video- thank u for the info
its like the first rpg ever... you level up, get new armor n stuff
bro, how are we even in the same species category as these guys, holy crap humans use to be badass
Dude keep up the good work!
Miac tlazocamati iztakhueltiuhtli for giving a detailed and well translated informational video