The Aztec's were a brutal and warlike race; they practiced bloodthirsty rituals and trained their soldiers well. In battle they wielded a wide variety of weapons, from obsidien tipped spear to swords covered in shards of obsidien. The Aztec weapons had evolved over centuries of battle and as a result they were well equiped to deal with invading Spanish invantry.
All Aztec weapons were made out of, or with, obsidian. Spears were given points of obsidien and swords there edge. Obsidian is a black glassy mineral similar to pained glass. It can be sharpened to a far keener edge than steel though however it will quickly lose its edge to becomes blunt. Obsidian is often associated with volcanoes as it rests on top of the lava flows whenever a volcano erupts.
The Atlatl, or spear thrower as it translates into English, was a weapon used to hurl obsidian tipped spears great distances of well over 100 metres. The Atlatl was a long wooden stick with a cup on one end to hold the spear in. It was held from the base and flicked forward with a swift wrist movement. Later improvements used more flexible wood and flexible darts which resembled six foot arrows more so than spears. Ingeniously the Aztecs added a weight to the middle of the atlatl which allowed them to launch spears far more quietly, accuratly and therefore successfully. Occasionally the Aztecs would poison the spears that they shot with with an Atlatl for an increased chance of killing the enemy.
The Quauhololli was the most feared weapon that the Aztecs used. It was a huge club made of heavy stone used to smash enemy's skulls. The death was normally swift but if the person was not killed they would almost definitely suffer from severe brain damage or be incapacitated.
The maquahitl was the most common weapon used by the Aztecs elite warriors, the knight cadres. It was a long sword made out of wood but the edges were imbedded with shards of tough obsidian. The weapon could have easily beheaded a person as it was known to be able to cut off a horses head. Despite this the sword lacked a tip which left the Aztecs at a huge disadvantage when up against the Spanish. This was due to the fact that, unlike the Spaniards steel pointed swords the Aztec Knight Cadres could not stab them only hit them with the side of the weapon leaving them open to a frontal assault from the Spanish warriors.
The Tepoztopilli was a spear like weapon used by the Aztecs. It was roughly the size of a man and had a large triangular head at the top with the sides covered with sharp obsidian blades. However though it resembled a spear the weapon did not have a tipped edge so it was used for slashing the enemy. Thus gave the Aztecs the advantage of greater reach however the weapon had to be swung carefully as it was fragile and could easily snap and crack.
The soldiers in the Aztec army were divided into three main groups, the eagle warriors, the jackal warriors and those who were drafted into the army from the peasants.
The eagle warriors were the basic Aztec infantry. They wore tough cotton armour soaked in salt water and their helmets were covered in embroiled feathers and had eagle eyes painted onto it. This design was used to supposedly enhance the Eagle Warriors vision and speed. They Eagle Warriors were trained specially to be able to move quickly and fight by themselves. The eagle warriors normally functioned as an archer's swordsmen or spearmen.
The more elite members of the army were the jaguar warriors. They were distinguished by the jaguar patterned armour and helmets. They were normally scouts and were skilled in finding weaknesses in enemy installations. In battle they would stay at the back and once the eagle warriors had breached the enemies the jaguars would leap in and kill of any remaining troops though some of course some were left alive to sacrifice to Aztec gods.
Overall the Aztecs were an incredibly powerful military race, they had useful weapons and knew how to use them. The obsidien embedded in their weapons was greater than steel and were used to great effect.
