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these among five or six of his subjects. When a male child was born in a calpolli, he was reported to the heads of the ward,
77 so the Aztec leaders knew their potential strength even though they rarely used it to the maximum. |
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The sizes of the armies mustered for specific campaigns are occasionally given in historical sources, but these figures are doubtless approximations. Their reliability can be assessed by examining the total population of the region and then estimating the soldier population. Unfortunately, there is no general consensus on the population of central Mexico, or even of the basin of Mexico. For the basin, Sanders' low estimate of 1,000,000 to 1,200,00078 and Cook and Borah's high estimate of 2,200,000 to 2,650, 00079 offer the most reasonable range. Tenochtitlan's population in 1519 is estimated at 150,000 to 200, 000.80 |
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It is widely agreed that in preindustrial populations virtually the entire male population capable of bearing arms took part in military affairs and that no one was exempt from war service among the Aztecs.81 The makeup of the Aztec army, moreover, has been estimated at 90 percent of the male population.82 Nonetheless, while virtually all males were mobilized in nonstate societies, in states, this was likely to be true only in emergencies or defensive actions. Estimates of 90 percent participation are instructive for the cities attacked by the Aztecs, but they reveal little about the Aztecs' offensive actions. Distinguishing between offensive and defensive armies highlights the differences between imperial battles, in which professional armies fight each other, and wars of conquest, in which a defending city-state is placed in the position of fighting for its life. In the former situation trained soldiers are used exclusively, although some of the combatants may be commoners, and others, inexperienced. In the latter situation the 90 percent figure is closer to reality, with virtually every able-bodied man participating. Consequently, victories are more difficult in the former situation than in the latter, and more captives are taken in the latter situation. |
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The Aztecs used a selected portion of the available manpower for offensive actions, calling up only the number of men actually needed for a specific campaign. Nevertheless, how many could be summoned from any city depended on the demographic structure of the population. I have adopted the population model that is most likely to reflect the indigenous demographic structure,83 with the result that only 32 percent of the males (not of the total population) were |
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