The Use of Military in Mesoamerica
By Dennis Dunkins II
The use of the military in Mesoamerican culture was not merely an adventure in the use of force to settle political disagreements, but multipurpose in religious, socio-economic and spiritual conceptualize thought.
In many of these societies the objective range from the subjugation of enemies to the need to reduce competition for resources, which often led to greater expansion and further confiscation of resources. An additional reason for violent conflict was the need for the leader to fulfill religious obligations to legitimize their authority to rule. Many of the Kings used warfare to promote their mystical persona and all new rulers were expected to open their new rule with a successful campaign against a chosen enemy. The unfortunate captives were purposefully taken in these exchanges for sacrifice, to prove the Divinity link of the ruler over all life.
The Campaign
Many ancient societies used warfare, as a means to pillage another’s treasuries or control trade routes, but to the Mesoamericans war had to be multifaceted for all of society. These campaigns had a multiple purposes: it increases new resources for the new ruler. Next it opened up society for the commoners through their military exploits. Thirdly, it could be an excellent practice run for when the time for larger action was needed. A famous example of this is the Flower War. This was low intensity warfare, a type of training war agreed upon by rivals as to acceptable tactics rules of engagement, and timetables of action. It is suggested by scholars that this later form also gave the citizenry something to root for in daily life, like a sporting event with box scores without much harm. However, failure to accomplish a successful campaign meant the possibility of internal division and chaos, which would lead to the new rulers death.
By Dennis Dunkins II
The use of the military in Mesoamerican culture was not merely an adventure in the use of force to settle political disagreements, but multipurpose in religious, socio-economic and spiritual conceptualize thought.
In many of these societies the objective range from the subjugation of enemies to the need to reduce competition for resources, which often led to greater expansion and further confiscation of resources. An additional reason for violent conflict was the need for the leader to fulfill religious obligations to legitimize their authority to rule. Many of the Kings used warfare to promote their mystical persona and all new rulers were expected to open their new rule with a successful campaign against a chosen enemy. The unfortunate captives were purposefully taken in these exchanges for sacrifice, to prove the Divinity link of the ruler over all life.
The Campaign
Many ancient societies used warfare, as a means to pillage another’s treasuries or control trade routes, but to the Mesoamericans war had to be multifaceted for all of society. These campaigns had a multiple purposes: it increases new resources for the new ruler. Next it opened up society for the commoners through their military exploits. Thirdly, it could be an excellent practice run for when the time for larger action was needed. A famous example of this is the Flower War. This was low intensity warfare, a type of training war agreed upon by rivals as to acceptable tactics rules of engagement, and timetables of action. It is suggested by scholars that this later form also gave the citizenry something to root for in daily life, like a sporting event with box scores without much harm. However, failure to accomplish a successful campaign meant the possibility of internal division and chaos, which would lead to the new rulers death.
