Aztec Warrior: AD 1325–1521

Osprey Warrior #32

by John Pohl, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

According to one popular image, the Aztec army was a ruthless and efficient war machine, that established an empire by convincingly overwhelming its neighbors, sacrificing thousands to bloodthirsty gods along the way. From a contrasting perspective, its native warriors were no match for the modern warring methods of Cortés' greatly outnumbered Spaniards, who decisively defeated them. The reality of the Aztec warrior's ability and effectiveness lies somewhere between those two extremes, as this title makes clear. By examining the experiences of a hypothetical individual, Cuauhtli, this meticulously researched book shows that the history of Aztec warfare is much richer and far more complex than previously understood, and reveals the close relationship between social and military matters in Aztec society.

Genres: History, Military History

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2001

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview to not just the arms, armor and training of Aztec soldiers, but also the entire conduct of the Aztec state at war, including logistics, supply, political reasons, and the experience of the family unit who sent their young boys to war for the state. No better introduction to the topic.

[Ken Kinney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the disjunction of this book’s organization. As someone who studied the Aztec previously, I was hoping to gain further insight. The book pivots wildly between a narrative of a commoner turned soldier and historical descriptions, sometimes in the same paragraph. There are sections of info dumping out of greater context. While it’s impressive that nearly every image in the book is by the author, it seems strange that most of these same images are reproductions of other images. There isn’t a single map until the notes post references of where exactly anything takes place in a modern context and even that is pretty vague. A lot of information is just repeated in different sections and so much information is not explained. When it is, it is often by an image and its description several pages away. Many terms are not explained and the few that are have been put in a section at the end, though not referenced that that is where they are located. There’s a lot of good information in this book but it’s difficult to access unless you have a good grasp on the history and terms already. A big disappointment, especially given my love of Osprey’s books in general.

[S. D. Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good solid overview of weaponry, organisation and terminology that can be covered more comprehensively and scholarly in Ross Hassig's work.

It comparison this work is clear, accurate and adds simple, detailed imagery to define the prose. Using both books together is an ideal overview of the subject, especially if like myself using as reference. Osprey and the authors deliver again in a solid work that is a ideal grounding for further reading.

[Alonso Santos rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of what being an Aztec warrior meant

Great summary if you are still interested I highly recommend reading on the arrival of the spanish in the great book by Bernardo del Castillo, a view on the conquest of Mexico by a spanish foot soldier.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great but short book describing the life of an aztec warrior, aztec military ranks, & the weapons they used. Very informative and accompanied by some cool graphics.

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still very interesting, but definitely focusing strongly on the warrior’s appearance and training and less on famous campaigns or societies.