Why Is It So Important To The Aztecs?

The Aztecs, a flourishing mesoamérican Empire, were elite masters of war that would take on anyone that dared challenge them. If they were not at battle, they would be celebrating their many gods with various festivals and feasts. Compared to other civilizations during their time, like the Holy Roman empire, the Aztecs were more capable to stand their ground. where they would struggle for superiority even within their own lands. The Holy Roman Empire’s success, measured next to the Aztecs, is miniscule. For the Aztecs, war was a prominent part of their lives. In their religion, the God of the sun and war, Huitzilopochtli, was said to be born ready for battle. And furthermore, to prove that war was normalized into their society, they say Huitzilopochtli was in a
constant war with the night, consisting of his sister, Coyolxauhqui, also known as the moon, and his four hundred siblings, which are the stars. These battles were so important that, “...fallen warriors accompanied the sun on his daily journey and later returned to earth as hummingbirds” (Aztec Warfare, Cartwright).
Which was a great honor for them, but the only way this could be achieved would be through dying in battle. Compared to the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire at the time, which was Catholicism, warfare really was not emphasised. With the writing of the New Testament, which focused more on grace and forgiving, war has not been as important to the Holy Roman Empire, as it has been. With warfare not on the minds of the Holy Romans, the need to upgrade weapons was unnecessary, let alone invent new ones. They did not bother to add any different tools of destruction to a knight's training. Their army was only really efficient in a select few melee weapons, such as swords and battle axes. And these weapons would have to be in the best condition in order to pierce the enemy’s armour. The Aztecs, on the other hand, had multiple weapons they were efficient in. The swords they used were made out of the sharpest material they had available, obsidian. These swords, also known as macuahuitl, could deliver the most devastating wound, even through steel armour. Their second close quarter weapon
was their spear, also called tepoztopilli. These obsidian tipped tepoztopilli could be up to seven feet long, with a foot wide spear head. Along with melee weapons, Aztec warriors were had also mastered ranged weapons as well. One of these deathly weapon was the atlatl, “The atlatl was a dart-throwing device made of wood, and using one, an experienced warrior could direct accurate and deadly darts (mitl) or javelins (tlacochtli) while remaining a safe distance from the enemy…” (Aztec warfare, Cartwright).