Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control

The Civilization of the American Indian #188

by Ross Hassig

Book by Hassig, Ross

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Latin American History, Military Fiction, Native Americans

404 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a well written and accessible book for most anyone. It covers Aztec warfare, weapons and tactics. The author describes the hierarchy of Aztec society/military, and really goes into depth about logistics on campaign, and how the Aztec political systems regarding conquered city-states impacted campaigning and logistics. The author briefly covers the Aztecs before they were a power, then does a chronological telling of the Aztec story based on the reigns of the various Aztec kings. He then goes into the Spanish conquest, ending the Aztec empire.

Very good book and quite informative. I would say it is a great starting place for someone wanting to know about Aztec warfare.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“And now we dedicate him to the war god, to Night-and-Wind, the Lord, the Youth, Honored Enemy, He-whose-slaves-we-are, Tezcatl-Ihpocal. We hope he will have a long life. Perhaps our Lord will support him for a little while. We leave him to become a warrior. There he will live at the place that is the house of penance, the house of lamentation, the house of tears, the house for youths, where warriors, eagles, and jaguars live and become men. There people serve our lord.”

[S. D. Howarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome stuff. Can be a bit dense and I find the snapshot maps of little relevance, but it condenses a sizeable section of history as well as the social and military structure (specific research for me). The authors take on Cortes' success was very enlightening with the lack of a military response out of campaign season.

Combine this with the Osprey book on Aztec warriors and Richard Townsend's book you tick the boxes on detail, society, archaeology, reference and military imagery. A well defined scholarly work.

[AskHistorians]

The authoritative book on warfare and the expansion of the Aztecs in Post-Classic Mexico. Skims over the pre-Imperial period and may be a bit more dense than some might enjoy. Still, its an essential text to for anyone looking to be an Aztec military buff.