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chapter 5 a marriage of convenience the king and the military Like the mortar that holds a house together, the military orders provided the unifying force that bound the city into a concordant whole. While the military may have risen as a necessary part of establishing a new city, its later manifestation when Teotihuacan was at its apogee reflects an urgent need to counteract the oppositional forces of the other elements of the triad. Inherent tensions between the ruler and the powerful lineage heads would have been rife with detrimental effects. Such fractious relationships, not only between the ruler and the lineages but among the lineages themselves, could have threatened the stability of the city had the Teotihuacanos not devised social institutions that defused the pressure . The military seems to have done just that by engaging otherwise antagonistic parties into a common service that engendered a Mesoamerican form of civic responsibility. Although evidence suggests that the lineages were well entrenched in every facet of the military, it was the ruler who stood to gain the most from a healthy military that stimulated widespread participation by the population. Reassessment of relative power and the subsequent realignment between lineages was evidently a chronic condition at Teotihuacan, and unchecked, it doubtlessly would have led to selfpromotion and independent actions with little consideration of the social whole. Furthermore, as individuals tried to maneuver their lineages into the royal position, their loyalties to the ruler would have been extremely limited. The military , however, seems to have provided a social vent by establishing corporate bodies composed of otherwise antagonistic elements. Furthermore, it rallied these groups behind goals that were beyond individual motives. By fostering bonds of cooperation and fidelity, the military probably reduced oppositional pressures on the ruler and may even have created an environment in which his competitors might become his advocates. Apart from the overwhelming quantity of visual imagery and archaeological remains, the subtleties concerning the nature of these military groups are largely missing. Fortunately, the Spaniards wrote down their observations on the military organization of the Aztecs, and this material may provide a model upon which to develop a hypothetical reconstruction of the Teotihuacan military orders. Durán (1971:197) devoted a whole chapter to an elite military class he labeled the Knights of the Sun. In his explanation , he described the various temples in Tenochtitlan , one of which was the Cuauhcalli, or House of the Eagles. Both his text and archaeological excavations indicate that this structure stood within the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan, just to the north of the main pyramid.1 In function, the Cuauhcalli served the purposes of warriors whom Durán called the eagle and jaguar knights. As he dutifully conveyed the elite status of these warriors, Durán explicitly stated that these men were celebrated in Aztec society. They were the men whom the sovereigns most loved and esteemed, the men who obtained most privileges and prerogatives . To them the kings granted most generous favors, adorning them with brilliant, splendid weapons and insignia . No decision in war could be reached without them; not even the monarch could contradict their ordinances and command, and soon confirmed them. (Durán 1971:197) Three important details may be gleaned from this passage. First, the eagle and jaguar knights enjoyed an elevated social status that allowed for certain privileges. Second, the sumptuary rights bestowed upon them by the king were one of these privileges. Third, they held a consultative position with the king in matters of war. Durán went on to state that there were other military orders, and a soldier rose through the ranks by distinguishing himself in battle. With each elevation in status, warriors were permitted to wear clothing that symbolized the new position. The highest and most coveted position was inclusion in the eagle and jaguar knights (Durán 1971:197– 199). The early colonial Codex Mendoza preserves within its pages some of the many costumes worn by these various military ranks (Figure 5.1).2 Composed as a record of tribute owed to the Mexica, the manuscript documents the towns conquered by Tenochtitlan and the payment expected from each locale. From some defeated towns the expected tribute included warriors’ military costumes, and the codex has detailed images of these highly perishable costumes that were otherwise lost to archaeology. The variety of animal and even skeletal costumes in this tribute list are well in accord with the military uniforms depicted at Teotihuacan and with the...

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