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that included both nobles and commoners) lacked body armor but had shields; they wielded thrusting spears, clubs, and macuahuitl. Nevertheless, the bulk of the army was composed of nonspecialists, commoners who served as archers and slingers.
22 As might be expected, the fate of the combatants was largely determined by these differences in training and weaponry. Thus how, where, and when each weapon was employed must be considered. |
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Mesoamerican combat involved an orderly and recognized sequence of weapons use and tactics, usually beginning with projectile fire.23 Although there were specialist archers and slingers, the opening salvo of projectiles was cast by all the combatants, employing which ever projectiles they possessed and causing considerable damage.24 |
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Both of the archer's hands were needed to shoot the bow, so even if he was carrying a shield or had one attached to his left forearm, he could not use it to defend himself effectively. Consequently, archers were sometimes protected by shieldsmen who watched for and deflected incoming projectiles,25 although this was not usual. There are few references to the Aztec archers' rate of fire, but a conservative estimate of six arrows per minute would exhaust all of their arrows in about three minutes. Likewise, the number of stones carried by slingers is unknown, but they, too, had a high rate of fire and probably used their ammunition even more quickly than the archers. |
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The distance at which fire was opened depended largely on the nature of the engagement, but the maximum projectile range was not exploited, even if the battle was joined in set-piece fashion between two armies. Battle descriptions indicate that the initial engagement took place at around 50 to 60 meters (5566 yards), for several reasons. First, shorter ranges minimized difficulties in sighting targets and lessened the effectiveness of natural cover. Second, holding fire until shorter distances were reached allowed all the projectile weapons to be brought to bear (e.g., the shorter-range atlatl). Third, the closer the targets, the greater the projectile's penetrating power and the greater the effect of the limited number of projectiles soldiers could carry into battle. And fourth, lesser distances meant that the offensive army could exploit its firepower to injure the enemy, disrupt its formations, suppress return fire, or dislodge it from an entrenched position. In the case of an attack against a fortified position, however, the defenders would be more heavily supplied since they did not have to be mobile, and could thus initiate projectile fire at a greater distance. |
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