f ThelmaD.SullivanTHEARMSANDINSIGNIA OFTHEMEXICA ThearmsemployedbytheMexicatoforgetheirvastempire werethesameasthoseusedbypeoplesbeforethemfora milleniumatleast,giveortakeafewinnovationsthatwere introducedalongtheline,andsorneofthemwentbackeven fu1'therintime.Theywerenotonlysimplebytoday'sstandards ofweaponrybutalsobyEuropeanstandardsatthetimeofthe eonquest.Indeed,itwastheirveryprimitivenaturethatguaranteed thedefeatoftheIndiansbytheSpaniardsdespitetheoverwhelming numericaldisadvantageofthelatter. Thebestcollectionofdatarelativetothearmsandinsignia oftheMexicaisfoundintheCdiceMatritensedelaAcademia delaHistoria.ltconsistsofdescriptionsinNahuatlofthearms andinsigniaofthekingsandcaptainsintheformofsuccinct notes(fos.68-691'.)anddrawingsincolorofmostotheobjects described(fos.72r.-80r.).Needlesstosay,thecombinationo textandillustrationisinvaluabletothestudentotheNahuatl culture,andtersethoughthenotesmaybe,theyareexceedingly informative,asthereaderwillseeinthetranslationthat follows. BecausetheMexicaarms,bothoffensiveanddefensive,were constructedlargelyoutofperishablematerials-wood,bamboo, leather,cloth,andfeathersinavarietyofcombinations- few exampleshavesurvivedtheravagesofconquest,timeanddamp. Thegoldandsilveradommentsthatembellishedmanyofthese objectsweretomoffbytheSpaniardsandeitherdividedamong themselvesasbooty,ormelteddownintoingotsandsentto SpainaspartoftheKing'sFifth.Remainsofthenon-perishable projectilepointsabound,however,andhappily,afewspearthrowers, atlatl,sorneofthemexquisitelycarved,thatcanbeseeninvarious museumsintheU .S.,Europe,andMexico. AmongtheoffensivearmsoftheMexicawerethelong,wood-en spear,tepuztopilli,withastone,obsidian,or copperpoint;ashort spear,tlacochtli,similarlytipped,thatwashurledwithaspear 156THELMAD.SULLIVAN thrower,atZatl;aspearwithathree-prongedtip,tlatzontectli;a kindofbroadword,macuahuitl,usuallyreferredtobyitsTaino name,macana,whichwasafIatpieceofwoodsetwithobsidian knivesingroovesaIongthetwoedges,andwasafavoriteweapon oftheMexica;asimilarweapon,themacuahuitzoctli,whichhad fOUTedgesandwaspointedatthetip;thebow,tlahuitolli,strung withanimaltendons;fire-hardenedarrows,mitl,withpointsof obsidian,flint,oranimalorfishbones;thesling,tematlatl,which wasanotherfavonteoftheMexica;andfinalIy,thewoodenclub, cuauhololli. Thoughtheseweaponswerenotternblyefficentbymodern standards,theywereperfectlysutedtothemilitaryneedsofa peoplewhowerefarmorenterestedintakingcaptivesforsacnfice tothegodsthaninkillingtheiradversaries.It wasforthisreason thatthemacana,whchbroughtthewarnorswithnarm'slength ofhisfoe,andtheslingwhichhurIedstonesthatstunnedbut didnotkill,weretheMexicaweaponsofpredilection. TheirdefensivearmswereequaIlysuitedtotheirneeds.Round orovalshields,chimalli,weremadeofsturdybambooverIaidwith leather,tortoiseshelI,copper,gold,orsilverandadornedwithpre-ciousstonesindesignsthataccordedwiththerankoftheowner. Apaddedcottonshirt,ichcahuipilli,offerednear-perfectprotection againstenemyspears,arrows,andstones.Overthiswasworna tunie,ehuatl,thathungtothekneesandwasadornedwithfeathers. Somewarriorsworepaddedsuits,likejumpsuits,whichwerealso frequentIyadornedwithfeathers.Soeffectivewasthispadded cottonarmorthattheSpaniardssoondiscardedtheirownheavy metalarmorinfavorofit,forasBernaIDazdelCastilloremarks, "sonbuenosparaentreindios,porqueesmuchalavara,yflecha ylanzadasquedaban,puespiedraeracomogranizo".lUnhappily fortheIndians,theirwonderfulcottonarmordidnotavailagainst Spanishmissiles.Onecouldsaythat theadoptionoftheichcahuipilli bytheSpaniardsisthesymbolparexcel1enceoftheinevitabilityo theConquestofMexico. CompletingthelistofdefensivearnlSwerethecozehuatl,greaves ofleather,gold,orsilver,toprotectthelegs. Without doubtthe mostmagnificentandmostuselesslyextravagant articleof thewarnor'sattire washisinsignia.Elaboratefeatheredde-1BernalDazdelCastillo,HistoriaverdaderadelaConquistadela NuevaEspaa,Mxico,EditorialRobredo,1944,v.1,ch.xxiii,p.116. r ARMSANDINSIGNIAOFTHEMEXICA157 vices fashioned over bamboo or wooden framesand adorned with gold, silver,orsbelIs,theywerewornstrappedtothebacksofthe warnors.Theymusthavebeencumbersome,indeed,butwhatdid itmatterwhentheenemywassimilaryencumbered?EquaI1y cIumsywasaheImet-likeaffairconsisting,aIso,ofabambooor woodenframerepresentingtheheadofananimalandcovered withfeathers.Thisoften,thoughnotalways,waspartofajump suitensembleandwaswornbycertainordersofwarriors.When puton,theheadofthewarnorswasframedinthejawsofthe animalgivinghimafearsomeaspect,whichwastheprincipal purposeofthisheadgearandnotprotection.Infact,toimbuethe enemywithterrorwasabasicbattletactic. WhengoingintobattIetheIndianssangandwhistledand shnekedthedeafeningwarcry,beatingtheirmouthswiththeir hands,asoundtochillthebooldofthemosthardenedwarrior. AddingtothedinwasthehoIlowwaIingoftheconchshell trumpetsandtheshnllingofcIaypipes.TheMexica'sgaudywar arrayandinsigniaofrichly-huedfeatherssprangtolifewithevery movementofthebody,everypuffofwind,andthegoldandsilver adornmentssparkledinthebnghtsunlight. Inallhistoryprobablynomoregorgeousarmyhasevergone towar! 158THELMAD.SULLIVAN TLATOQUEYNITLATQUIYNITLAUIZ* y chcauipilli YnictlachiuhtlitIapitzalitlacuiloloyuhquinquauhtlyictlatlali tlatencuetlaxyotillinomemecayocuetlaxtica. T eocuitlaquauhtentetl YnictlachiuhtlitIapitzalitIacuiloloyuhquinquauhtlyietlatlali teocuitlatl. Mayananacochtli YnictlaehiuhtlitlatzacutliyeaynmayatIxoxoeti. Maquauitl YnietlachiuhtliauaquauitltlapatlachxintliueltIaeeneaualinecoc tlaeamacuicuitloncantlateetliynitztlianozotecpatlayocuitlatican (sic)tlazaloli. Xiuhnacochtli Ynictlachiuhtlixiuhticatlatzacutlicamotquitica. '*CodoMat.Acad.fo.68r. ARMSANDINSIGNIAOFTHEMEXICA THEARMSANDINSIGNIAOFTHEMEXICA THEDRESSANDINSIGNIAOFTHERULERS ThePaddedCottonShirt 159 It ismadeinthismanner:Fluffedupeottoniscoveredwith cloth.Onitisstitehedaleatherborder.Italsohasleather thongs.1 T heOoldenEagleLipPlug Ttismadeinthismanner:Itiseastintheforroofaneagle; thusthegoldisshaped. TheOreenuneBeetleEarPlugs Theyaremadeofamosaieof greenbeetles.2 (Fig.2) TheMacana It ismadeinthismanner:Apieeeofoakiseutintoaboard. Ttiswel1-finished.Alongbothsidesgroovesareeutinwhieh aresetobsidianorflintknivesgluedwithturtledung.(Figs.1-6) TheTurquoiseEarPlugs Theyaremadeinthismanner:Theyareentirelyeoveredwith amosaieofturquoise.(Fig.3) 1TheCodexTelleriano-Remensis,PartIV,pIs.1,x,XI,andothers,and theCodexVaticanus3738,pIs.XVIIandLXXIX,showwarriorswearingthe ichcahuipilliwithtiesinfront.However,someichcahuipilliweredosed andslippedoverthehead,asshownintheLienzodeTlaxcala,pI.25, thefigureontheextremeleft,andintheCodexVaticanus3738,pI.LXXIX. Inthelatteristhestatementthat,"resistelasflechasque,atravesandolas msfuertescotasdemallayhastaalgunascorazas,nopuedenpasarestos escauipiles." 2.HOUOT\11.o.dugessiC Diccio'l\IlTiodeMextco.'I\i.smos\lllde! ma"ate.IsittheCotinisntida? 160 THELlIIAD.SULLIVAN e himalliquetzalxicalcoliuhqui YnictlachiualiotIatlyntIatzayantIiychicpaticatIauipantliteotla-ticatIauapauilitiliyoantlazoiuiticatIatzacutliquetzalticatlatlacuiloU. Quetzalcuexyochimalli InictlatzacuaUtoztIiquetzalticatIacuilolitentlapilolo. Tozmiquizyochimalli YmetIatzacutIzanmotquiticatoztlixiuhtotoiuiticatIacuiloli nepa (ntIa)tzonteeomatlyuhquimiquiztIi. T eocuitlaxapochimalli YmetlatzaqualitIazo(i)uitInepantlamanteocuitlayaualticteo-cuitIapepeyocyoynitentIapilolo. !'I!tl.tmftrlatMnp;lInTn:llllt''Intrll\ '1ch,mllptt... '1leumit!l\ll"cvch. ,que flttIP"I\M.'fmll'fl4L1h..'rrecpil cM. rllltO