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site, bulwarks, arms, firewood, water, and other necessities and was under the immediate control of its own military leaders.
73 |
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The camp itself was constructed of tents and huts (xahcalli) made of woven grass mats. These mats were usually carried as baggage from the home cities, but some tribute labor gathered en route was also allocated to carry them to the battlefield and set up the camp.74 |
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Arms were generally brought by the soldiers and the accompanying youths and porters, while other supplies, especially foodstuffs, came from towns along the route and tributary towns near the enemy. The food was divided among the army units and stored in huts, each unit being responsible for the storage and maintenance of its own.75 Individuals may have supplemented their supplies, but the troops were generally fed from the general stores. During combat each warrior was given a quantity of toasted tortillas (tlaxcaltotopochtli) and a handful of toasted maize flour, which was mixed in water to form a beverage (pinolli).76 The usual Mesoamerican provender of fresh tortillas and maize flour did not travel well and would have required daily preparationnormally a woman's function. Because women did not accompany Aztec armies, the troops relied on these two toasted-maize products, which would keep for several days.77 Drinking water was provided from artificial reservoirs.78 |
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When the camp had been set up and the area fortified to the extent feasible, lookouts were placed,79 and messengers were sent to the enemy if appropriatefor instance, if it was a rebel town.80 |
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Posting lookouts was an integral part of Aztec camp procedures.81 How lookouts behaved and how often they were changed were recorded by a conquistador during the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan. The lookouts lighted great fires that burned throughout the night, but they took care to stand away from the fire so they could not be seen from a distance. Each time the watch changed, the lookouts fed the fires, and if rain put them out, they rekindled them without speaking, using whistles to signal between themselves.82 |
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Scouts (yaotlapixqueh; not the quimichtin, or spies) were sent to reconnoiter the enemy town's fortifications.83 These scouts were veteran warriors, and at dawn they reported to the king and the commanding generals.84 Often they gathered valuable information, even to the point of bringing enemy captives for interrogation,85 although they were not always successful.86 |
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Scouts were also sent to gather intelligence concerning mobile |
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