Food The Aztecs ate two main meals a day, usually one during the hottest part of the day. Their diet was based on maize, but they also enjoyed various meats and vegetables. Aztec culture is famous for chocolate, which was only for warriors and nobles and mixed with maize to make a drink. Alcohol, called octli , came from the maguey plant and was also reserved for nobles and warriors, with commoners allowed to drink it only on special occasions. Crime and punishment The Aztecs had very harsh punishments for crimes. For example, a commoner wearing cotton clothes could be sentenced to death. The same punishment could happen for adultery or cutting down a living tree. A group of judges decided the sentences, similar to today’s justice system in Australia. Although these punishments seem extreme now, they would not have seemed particularly unusual to European observers at the time because punishments in Europe were also harsh by modern standards. 6.3.2 Aztec warfare Life in the Aztec Empire was not peaceful. The Aztecs were often at war with the Tlaxcala people, who lived nearby. The Aztec army had two main groups: commoners trained in basic fighting and professional warriors. Among the bravest were the eagle and jaguar warriors, known for their fierce uniforms. In battles, there were usually fewer casualties than in European wars because the Aztecs valued prisoners. They preferred to capture enemies for slavery or human sacrifice rather than kill them.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. What skills made jaguar warriors special in the Aztec army? 2. How did jaguar warriors show their bravery in battle? 3. What other roles did jaguar warriors have in Aztec society?
SOURCE2 An illustration from an Aztec codex showing jaguar warriors of the Aztec army. On the right, Spanish conquistadors are visible.
128 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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