The Aztecs had no professional army but they had professional military officers. When a boy was born his umbilical cord was cut off and dried and then buried on a battle field signifying that his life would be dedicated to warfare. Every able bodied boy was trained to fight. Soldiers were ordinary people.

A vital part of everyday life for the Aztecs was warfare. All able body men were trained to be warriors. In readiness for adult life boys learned about fighting and weapons at school. To fight in battle was considered a duty and an honor. Warriors helped teach in the calmecacs. The warriors took the students to the wars and taught him how to take a prisoner captive. A boy became a man after he captured his first prisoner.

The Aztec's courage and strength helped them build their empire and establish themselves as the fiercest of all the tribes in the Valley of Mexico. They easily defeated attacks from neighboring tribes. Declarations of war were greeted with joy; it was seen by Aztec warriors as a time to show their skills in battle. Soldiers dressed in costumes designed to scare their enemies such as the jaguar warriors who wore ocelot skins and eagle warriors who wore a helmet shaped like the beak of a bird of prey. Ordinary troops wore costumes decorated with patterns and had war emblems made from feathers and leather.

A site was chosen for the battle and the armies met. The fighting began after insults and more cries were called out and drums and conch shell trumpets were played. Then the fighting began. The battle was usually short and ended with the surrender of the weaker side and the taking of prisoners.

The plan was to disable an opponent by striking at his leg so he could be easily taken prisoner. Thus, the battles left very little casualties. After the battle the enemies' town was looted and the people were captured. Prisoners were the real war trophies since they were used as sacrifices in religious festivals. Soldiers sometimes demanded death as their right after they had been captured. A soldier became part of a family and was treated like a son until it was time for him to be sacrificed.

Aztec jaguar and eagle warriors were members of the nobility. Their elaborate costumes were worn to show the wearer's strength and importance in the Aztec society. The warrior's leather or wooden shield was decorated with brightly colored feathers. Below the warrior's shield hung leather strips to protect his legs. Their wooden clubs were edged with extremely sharp blades of obsidian. A thong held the club to their wrists.

The Aztecs and their enemies used spears, slings, bows, and arrows to fight at close range. Razor sharp blades were chipped from obsidian and mounted on weapons. A freshly made obsidian blade was sharper than the Spaniards steel swords. But, obsidian blades soon lost their edge and were easily broken. The Spaniards used steel swords, guns, and cannons that could take out many Aztecs at a time. The Aztecs wore close-fitting breastplates and used wooden shields for protection. The Spaniards armor was better suited for fighting in Europe, the Aztecs' lightweight breastplates were sometimes substituted for their hot and heavy metal armor.

DID YOU KNOW That after four years dead warriors would come back to earth as a hummingbird or as a butterfly.