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fled to strongholds atop the nearby hills. Thereupon the Aztecs burned the temple, but they refrained from razing the city when its inhabitants pledged to pay tribute.
79 But when the lords of Alahuiztlan refused to submit and become tributaries, the city was razed.80 |
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Burning the entire town was thus not an invariable consequence of defeat, although battles often led to this result when the clash was between major adversaries.81 But burning a town did not mean its complete and eternal obliteration; if a defeated town was burned, its inhabitants were expected to rebuild it. Thus during the conquest of Tenochtitlan the Aztecs taunted the Spaniards and their allies by telling them to burn the city, because they knew that if the Spaniards won, the Aztecs would be forced to rebuild it anyway, and if the Aztecs won, they would force their enemies to rebuild it.82 |
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When fortifications were encountered, different battle tactics and timing were involved. Urban fortifications were not typical in post-classic central Mexico, but some cities had completely encircling walls, often high and occasionally constructed in concentric rings although usually not free-standing.83 Other cities were fortified when a threat arose.84 When the Spaniards attacked Tenochtitlan, walls, earthworks, and trenches were built.85 Temporary breastworks in streets and atop houses were common, and they were ubiquitous during the battle for Tenochtitlan.86 But even unprotected cities had fortified structuresusually the main temples and their enclosed precincts,87 although other buildings also possessed fortified aspects.88 |
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Another significant type of Mesoamerican fortification was the stronghold, detached from but associated with a city. It was usually atop a hill, where the advantage of height and a difficult ascent provided natural defensive additions to walls and battlements. From such heights simply rolling large stones down on attackers provided an effective first line of defense. However, these sites were vulnerable to siege if they were not equipped with adequate supplies of food and water.89 When the residents fled to a detached fort near the town of Cuezcomaixtlahuacan, the Aztec army was foiled in its attempt to conquer them.90 There was also a stronghold atop the island hill of Tepepolco, near Tenochtitlan,91 as well as Aztec fortresses elsewhere.92 |
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