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earliest expansions beyond the basin of Mexico were not continuous and were not undertaken against determined opposition. Rather, conquests were spatially discontinuous, relying on intimidation as well as force and combining preselected targets with opportunistic conquests. Later campaigns were extended farther, posing greater logistical problems. Victories became more difficult and reversals more common, not as an indication of a less successful strategy or execution but as a function of the spatial extent of the Aztec expansion. |
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The goal of most campaigns was outright conquest, but because of a combination of relative strength, terrain, and distance, some competitors proved difficult to conquer in a single campaign or without a prolonged siege, which was usually logistically infeasible. When this situation arose, two separate but related strategies were adopted: encirclement and the xochiyaoyotl. |
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Encirclement was not a distinct tactic adopted against a strong opponent but merely one phase in an escalating conflict. If a frontal assault was ineffectual or if its continuation appeared costly, the Aztecs generally fell back on encirclement, although this strategy could require decades and involve the subjugation of the towns surrounding the opposing forces. Its purpose was to cut the enemies off from their allies and reduce their ability to retreat through the piecemeal conquest of enemy territory in successive battles. |
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Encirclement could be adopted alone or in ordinary wars of conquest, but it was frequently used in conjunction with flower wars. In the latter case the xochiyaoyotl was one part of an escalating conquest strategy. A flower war was the beginning phase of a protracted conflict that would evolve into a war of conquest. It was basically a demonstration of martial skills, and as such, it differed markedly from ordinary wars of conquest. As demonstrated by the use of ambushes, circumvention of battling armies, and firing of enemy temples, the Aztec leadership was not overly concerned with how victories were won in wars of conquest. But in the xochiyaoyotl outright conquest was not the immediate issuethe point was to make a show of military superiorityso how the wars were fought was of pivotal significance. Individual deportment was a major concern, and battling armies fought by established conventions. Accordingly, tactics involving stealth or trickery that were acceptable in wars of conquest were avoided in flower wars. |
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One purpose of flower wars was to demonstrate the ultimate |
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