The Aztecs at war

RHIANNON DAVIES discovers why war was so important to the Mesoamerican people - and why they believed a badly cooked meal could prevent a soldier from shooting straight

- RHIANNON DAVIES

Witnessing the Aztecs wage war would have been an awe-inspiring, if extremely terrifying, sight. Warriors would first rain a hail of projectiles down on their enemies, before swarming onto the battlefield wielding clubs or spears studded with wickedly sharp obsidian blades. Rhythmic drumbeats would pound through the air, mingling with the shrieks of the wounded and dying.

For the Aztecs (who called themselves the Mexica), warfare was a crucial part of everyday life – as historian Caroline Dodds Pennock recently explained on an episode of the