Eagle warrior
Eagle warriors (in Nahuatl : Cuāuhtli ) were members of the Aztec army . They were professional soldiers and acted as elite units . Another group were the jaguar warriors (in Nahuatl: Ocēlōtl).
There was fierce rivalries between them and the jaguar warriors , the totems of the eagle and jaguar warriors were the sun and the moon. The sun symbolized the day and stood for the eagle warriors. The moon symbolized the night and stood for the jaguar warriors. Just like these, the eagle warriors were used as active fighters on the battlefield. But the eagle warriors were also used as scouts , spies and parliamentarians .
The eagle warriors could be recognized by their clothing and their splendid feather headdress. As young children, Aztec boys learned how to handle weapons and practiced in special schools for war. They were raised by their parents until they were fourteen. After that they lived in their calpulli ( company ). From that point on, the state was responsible for them. The budding warriors were repeatedly tested and their progress tested. Only the best students could rise to the eagle warrior caste. To do this, they had to excel through special deeds on the battlefield. They captured as many enemy warriors as they could for the solemn human sacrifices . The number of their prisoners determined their rank.
The eagle warrior is still important in Mexico. The Aeroméxico logo shows a stylized head.
literature
- Ross Hassig: Aztec Warfare. Imperial Expansion and Political Control . University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 1988, ISBN 0-8061-2121-1