Warlike Aztecs

The Aztecs were extremely warlike due to political, economic, and social reasons. Politically, the Aztecs used fear and ruthless tactics, as well as strategies, to achieve political goals and expand their empire. Accordingly, their wealth and power depended on collected tribute demanded and collected from conquered tribes, which allowed their economic wealth to further grow in magnificence and prosperity. Finally, the Aztecs’ strong belief in human sacrifice consisted of mostly war captives, in which the Aztecs fought and captured, but did not kill to use for sacrifice ceremonies later on. Through the expansion of their empire, as well as their Flower Wars, the Aztecs used fear, threats, and merciless tactics to conquer tribes, expanding their empire, and achieving their political goals. According to the document, “A Flower War according to Ross Hassig,” from Hassig’s book from 1988, Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion & Political Control, the Aztecs’ large military size allowed them to “continue fighting until their opponents surrendered.” Also, Flower Wars were ritual battles where nobody was killed and no land was taken, but captives and prisoners were captured to be sacrificed in religious ceremonies later on. Through the display of their many captives in their great city of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were able to continue conquering and controlling their enemies and opponents through fear, thus their empire further grew and expanded into a one of the greatest empires of all time. The Aztecs’ constant warfare also supported their economy, and their economic wealth further grew in prosperity and height as they continuously conquered more and more tribes, in which they collected tribute from. According to the Codex Mendoza, 1541, “Tribute to the Aztecs,” the Aztecs allowed local leaders of the lands they conquered to “stay in control if they would make their tribute payments to the Aztecs.” Consequently, the Aztecs became very wealthy while their