Army Ranks and Promotion (Aztec History)

warfare played a huge role in Aztec society and was the primary driver of the Empire's expansion military service was mandatory and both commoners and Nobles alike would take to the battlefield all Aztec boys would train in school before being recruited into the army and advancing up the ranks today we'll be taking a look at what it took to rise to the top a brief set of disclaimers before we begin the information presented here specifically applies to the rank and command structure for the Aztecs of the capital at Tenochtitlan and people known as the mushiya as such this information isn't necessarily applicable to the militaries of other cities of the Triple Alliance or Mesoamerica in general secondly much of the information presented comes from a small selection of surviving documents which represent only a tiny cross-section of the full complexity of the Aztec military and which sometimes contain contradictory information as a result this video should be taken as a general guide only based on one potential synthesis of multiple sources but with that being said let's go ahead and get started joining the army all males would be put through the Aztec education system in their early teens here there would be taught discipline courage and martial skill students who prove themselves physically and mentally would be recommended for recruitment by their school master the first role in the army would be to serve as a porter this was a humble but essential role as beasts of burden were not present in Mesoamerica and supplies had to be transported by hand youth serving as Porter's would typically be apprenticed to an older member of the army often from their own school the porter would follow along with the army on campaign helping to carry the soldiers personal kit and supplies for the camp the older soldier would in return protect and tutor the younger ward parents would offer gifts to solicit the help of more experienced warriors Nobles here had the advantage of great wealth and connections to ensure that their sons get the best trainers at this rank Porter's would be dressed simply they sported a loin cloth and net bag to carry their supplies but had no armor or other distinctive marks besides a hair tuft they grew in the back of their head called up hilt monthly novice soldier after gaining some experience with army basics Porter's would become novice soldiers are on the age of 20 this meant that they would take up arms and enter the battlefield however at first they would likely do so as support troops who did not bear the brunt of combat on the main battle line they would have had simple equipment wearing a breach cloth sandals and a cape some sources state that these novices would Don a standard Mesoamerican body vest known as the Ishikawa pili which was traditionally constructed of several layers of braided cotton likely armed with a spear or to post the pili they would accompany their mentor into battle striking from relative safety at their targets while more experienced troops fought close up in hand-to-hand after battles their mentors would instruct them on how to take up the pursuit and secure captives with some more experience these novice soldiers will get closer to the frontline and Aztecs first few battles were extremely important in determining their advancement through the ranks before we proceed down the path of a theoretical military career it's important to mention that not all Aztecs followed this route while all men were expected to serve on campaigns then all of them pursued it as a career often these individuals had other occupations as farmers or craftsmen and thus did not advanced very far typically they would contribute to the fight by serving as porters or being deployed as skirmishing troops armed with slings and bows with this in mind let's now forge ahead military rank progression promotion passed the rank of novice was tied to battlefield performance this was primarily judged by one's ability to capture enemy soldiers who would be taken as slaves and later ritually sacrificed both the quantity and quality of prisoners were factors different opponents had varying reputations for ferocity capturing a warrior from taraskin lands or some high-ranking enemy was far more prestigious than capturing a warrior from washtech lands or some common soldier there was a rather sophisticated system in place to institutionalize this practice with each rank cam additional special clothing weapons armored and hairstyles which were instantly recognizable in Aztec society additional rewards for performing great deeds in battle would include lane grants special rights and gifts with these concepts in place let's now take a look at the progression system for a warrior in the Aztec army an individual would remain in the novice rank until they progress by taking at least one captive those who failed to take any captives after three to four campaigns will be viewed with disgrace this would be made obvious to observers as they still bore the built only hair tuft should they persist in their failure these Warriors would also have their hair plastered with feathers or be entirely shaven most however had better luck a soldier who took their first captive was called a leading youth this important milestone was marked for all to see by the cutting of the potently hair tough and being gifted a flower pattern mantle as well as a pair of scarlet and multicolored breech cloths now the warrior would also be allowed to carry a simple macuahuitl and a shield or tamale without any decorations a soldier with two captives was rewarded with an orange mantle with a red trim and from this point on in battle was able to wear its luck Weasley a full body suit made of cotton with sewn feathers of varying colors to form patterns the two captive soldiers left Weasley was quashed to get styled meaning that it was derived from the wash deck people and was usually distinguished by having black marks called Hawk scratches a conical hat and a nose ring a soldier with three captives was elevated to the rank of teacher of youth or master of youths depending on the translation as such they were given permission to educate others at school they would be gifted with a conch shell pattern mantle in addition on their backs they would wear an ornament often in the shape of a butterfly a soldier with four captives was now considered a veteran warrior and became a ruler of use or instructor of use again depending on the translation as such they were eligible to become the head of a school they now were gifted a mantle black and orange stripes with a trim pattern soldiers of this rank adopted the Tim alert style with their hair raised atop their head in two sections wrapped in a red cord and were allowed to wear a Jaguar pandered sloth Weasley and helmet their weapons and armor would also bear additional ornamentation further advancement was more restrictive and focused more so on the quality rather than quantity of captured opponents taking any additional soldiers from most enemy states would simply promote one to leader of youths which was the highest position at schools but otherwise conferred no benefits however a fifth captive taken from a prestigious enemy would allow one to become a great captain and be awarded many gifts including richly ornamented headbands labret s' earplugs and capes at this point I want to note that according to one source a parallel rank advancement track it did exist for Astec priests who participated in battle what role they performed in battles though is unknown but as with normal soldiers they progress in accordance with the amount of enemy soldiers they captured as seen in this page from the Codex Mendoza noble orders in addition to normal military ranks there were several prestigious military fraternities a veteran soldier could enter once they had taken five to six captives these included the Eagle Jaguar auto meat and the shorn ones all would have their own barracks at the royal palace and the members would be full-time soldiers while normally open only to nobility commoners could be awarded the status of honorary noble by performing exceptional deeds in combat and were able to enter the Eagle and Jaguar orders though this opportunity would be restricted as time went on the Eagles and Jaguars were the largest of the military fraternities there were full body suits and helmets styled after their animal namesakes these troops were expected to do much of the heavy duty fighting and were thus well equipped with sturdy shields and macuahuitl outside the battlefield they enjoyed a high status in society they had the privilege of wearing fine jewelry and costumes in public were allowed to keep mistresses and were given tax free land grants which could be passed on to their heirs the Otomi Order was an even more elite group members are believed to have fought in their own units and would have been housed within the Emperor's Palace these individuals were given a full-body suit of green red or blue color with a back banner meant to symbolize their heroism they carried a beautifully crafted macuahuitl and a shield featuring a variety of designs while their hair was bound atop their head with a red tassel entry into the most prestigious order would require many high-ranking captives and a record of more than 20 great bees making it this far was only possible for those who had become lifers in the army and were masters of war these fierce warriors were known as questio quai the shorn ones they shaved the sides of their heads painting one half blue and the other yellow or red but leaving a distinctive mohawk or braid in the center the soldiers were either a yellow bodysuit or might be naked aside from a breach cloth they fought in pairs and were expected to never retreat in battle or be done in by their comrades unlike other ranks and military orders they did not teach at schools so as to stay active combatants leadership thus far we have covered the hierarchy of rank-and-file troops and will now be turning to the leadership structure at the very top would be the king or klepto ani he often led campaigns and participated in battles such rulers would wear whatever they please this might include an exclusive war suit with the attire and regalia of the god Shiva throw Tek or other popular feathered tunics and skirts exclusively worn by mushy choroidal tea high nobility and top commanding military offices just below the king was his war council chief among them and authority was the master of the house of darts he wore a white glove Weasley and a helmet fashioned after skeletal demons other members of the Council included the master of the house of darkness and various rotating positions such as the cutter of men while some sources say it was possible to reach these ranks by capturing a six reputable captive as a great captain in practice these positions were often occupied by members of the royal family below the war Council were a variety of other high-ranking command positions and special titles these would control the large units in the Aztec military while also serving administrative or judicial roles in Tenochtitlan government further down were the various officers and captain's who controlled the smaller units in the Army they're believed to have been drawn from the higher ranking veterans we previously discussed unfortunately the exact nature of these leadership roles is heavily contradicted between sources and we don't have a complete and consistent picture of how they operated or were equipped for now this is where we will leave things I hope that through this video we've been able to demonstrate the high level of organization present in the Aztec army I find this level of nuance absolutely fascinating to examine and M saddened by mainstream portrayals of the Mesoamericans as primitive bands of jungle Raiders this does a huge disservice to their sophisticated societies it also bears keeping in mind that this video focused on the system of just one city with other Aztec cities and the cities of foreign kingdoms and empires all having their own compare oblique complex systems even those who are cognizant of how the Aztecs were a formal complex Empire often forget that Mesoamerica as a whole was filled with a vast array of city-states and empires and not just tribes we hope you enjoyed and be sure to stay tuned for more videos on Aztec warfare if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to LIKE and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 664,354

Rating: 4.9433331 out of 5

Keywords: aztec army, aztec army ranks, ranks in the army, aztec battle, jaguar warrior, eagle warrior, eagle warrior vs jaguar warrior, aztec eagle warriors, aztec warfare, aztec empire, moments in history, rise of the aztecs, rise of the aztec empire, aztec empire crash course, aztec empire documentary, aztec sacrifice, aztec war, cortes documentary, invicta history, history of the aztecs, aztec warrior, fall of the aztecs, aztec triple alliance

Id: AcD5nDnVkEs

Length: 12min 27sec (747 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 18 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/jabberwockxeno]

I actually helped do research for this video, I implore everybody to check out the comment I left here clarifying on a few things in the video as well as on stuff that had to be cut for time; mainly regarding inconsistencies between sources.

[u/qwqwqto]

So much false information by people in the YouTube Comment Section of the video :p

urgh (falls over and dies)