User blog:ElBalde/Aztec Jaguar Warrior vs Mapuche Warrior

Jaguar Warrior=Aztec Jaguar warriors or jaguar knights, or ocēlōmeh were members of the Aztec military elite.They were a type of Aztec warrior called a cuāuhocēlōtl, The word cuāuhocēlōtl derives from the Eagle warrior cuāuhtli and the Jaguar Warrior ocēlōtl. They were an elite military unit similar to the eagle warriors. The Jaguar motif was used due to the belief the jaguar represented Tezcatlipoca. Aztecs also wore this dress at war because they believed the animal's strengths would be given to them during battles. Jaguar warriors were used at the battlefront in military campaigns. They were also used to capture prisoners for sacrifice to the Aztec gods. Many statues and images (in pre-Columbian and post-Columbian codices) of these warriors have survived. They fought with a wooden sword studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a macuahuitl. They also used spears and atlatls. To become a jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec army had to capture twelve enemies during two consecutive battles. This was said to honor their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers in the battlefield. For a warrior to kill an enemy was considered clumsy.


 * -|Close range=Macuahuitl.jpg macuahuitl ([maːˈkʷawit͡ɬ]) is a wooden club with obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means "hand-wood". Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian; obsidian is capable of producing an edge sharper than high quality steel razor blades. The macuahuitl was a standard close combat weapon. Use of the maquahuitl as a weapon is attested from the first millennium CE. By the time of the Spanish conquest the macuahuitl was widely distributed in Mesoamerica. The weapon was used by different civilisations including the Aztec (Mexicas), Mayan, Mixtec and Toltec.


 * -|Mid range=Tepoztopilli_aztec.jpg tepoztopilli [tepostoːˈpiːlːi] was a common front-line weapon of the Aztec military. The tepoztopilli was a pole-arm, and to judge from depictions in various Aztec codices it was roughly the height of a man, with a broad wooden head about twice the length of the users' palm or shorter, edged with razor-sharp obsidian blades which were deeply set in grooves carved into the head, and cemented in place with bitumen or plant resin as an adhesive. This made the weapon vaguely similar to the macuahuitl or "macana", however it had a much smaller cutting edge and a longer handle. This gave the weapon a superior reach, but blows had to be more carefully executed.
 * -|Long range=Aztec_Bow.jpg tlahuitolli war bow was adopted for warfare in Central Mexico by at least the 12th century AD. The bow and arrow became a popular and extremely common weapon in many Mesoamerican armies during Aztec times. The earliest evidence of the bow’s presence in Mesoamerica coincides with the arrival of the Nahuatl speaking migrants from the north, suggesting that the original Aztec migration was responsible for its spread to the rest of Mexico. The Aztecs’ extensive use of the bow is attested to in many Spanish sources, with Bernal Diaz del Castillo noting that many Spaniards mistook the thousands of arrows that showered their position for swarms of locusts. Another encounter he describes occurred when the Spanish were besieged inside Moctezuma’s palace in Tenochtitlan. Aztec soldiers launched hundreds of arrows, as well as stones and spears, through the palace windows until the spent ammunition covered the entire floor.


 * -|Special=Cuauhololli.jpg cuauhololli was a polearm used by Aztec and other precolonial Mesoamerican civilizations. It was around 150cm long with obsidian edges similar to those of the macuahuitl or tepoztopilli and used in wide, sweeping motions, similarly to European glaives. As it was a front-heavy weapon, which made it rather unwieldy, it had a counterweight which itself could be used as a bludgeoning weapon. It was used with both hands and the long shaft could be used for parrying. This was quite a rare weapon in the Aztec army, but was a common one in nearby tribes such as the Tlaxcalans.


 * -|Armor=Soaked_cotton_armor.jpeg Chimalli.jpg ichcahuipilli (from Nahuatl: ichcatl, cotton, and huīpīlli, shirt)(known in Spanish as "Escaupil") was a Mesoamerican military armor, similar to the European gambeson, and was commonly used by the Aztecs and the Tlaxcalans. It was constructed of several layers of braided cotton at least 2 inches thick, and hardened with brine and other substances, as well as soaked in saltwater to create crystals inside the cotton. This gave it enough durability to repel arrows and blades.

Perhaps one of the most emblematic weapons in the history of Mesoamerica is the chimalli or Mexica (Aztec) shield, probably followed in popularity as military icons by the macuahuitl and atlatl. Whether due to its elaborate design or the colourful feathers that adorned it, the Aztec chimalli has passed into history as an artefact not only associated with war but also with the preciousness of featherwork art, now practically extinct as a craft in Mexico today. It was made of wood, ornated with feathers and around 60cm wide and fairly light, allowing quick movement.

Mapuche Warrior=The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended between the Aconcagua River and Chiloé Archipelago and later eastward to the Argentine pampa. The Mapuche make up about 4% of the Chilean population, and are particularly concentrated in Araucanía Region and due to emigration in Santiago. The term Mapuche can refer to the whole group of Picunches (people of the north), Huilliches (people of the South) and Moluche or Nguluche from Araucanía, or exclusively to the Moluche or Nguluche from Araucanía. The Mapuche traditional economy is based on agriculture; their traditional social organisation consists of extended families, under the direction of a "lonko" or chief, although in times of war they would unite in larger groupings and elect a toqui (from Mapudungun toki "axe, axe-bearer") to lead them.


 * -|Close range=Macemapuche.jpg Stone mace: The Mapuche used masic stone or copper maces in combat. These were capable of inflicting severe blunt trauma and kill in single blows to the head. They were made of either native copper, basalt, granite or really anything harder than wood and mounted on a 50cm wooden shaft. The Mapuche warriors used these maces both against the conquistadors and the Inca empire as they were easy to make, simple, rugged and cheap while offering decent damage-dealing potential, both against armored and unarmored opponents. They could break bones and cause internal bleeding.


 * -|Mid range=TacuaraNellLuciaFeinmann2_AgendadeReflexion.jpg tacuara lance was a long, 2.5 meter spear with a stone tip and a shaft made of the local tacuara, a bamboo-like cane plant. This gave it resilience and flexibility while keeping fairly very light (for a spear this size). It was mainly used by Malon cavalrymen, but was still a devastating weapon when used by a dismounted warrior. When hitting its target, the tacuara would bend first, then whip back in and cause eve worse damage. Being a horseback lance, it was mainly used in thrusting motions.


 * -|Long range=Mapuche_holding_a_bow.jpg Mapuche bow was a composite bow made from various jungle plants and a string made of fibers. Even after the introduction of firearms to the Mapuche, many tribesmen still preferred to use the more silent, faster, cheaper and more reliable bow. This was because of their silent fighting style, which required stealth and the advantage of surprise when ambushing their enemies in the deep jungles of South America. They were however eventually fazed out when more and more advanced firearms came into the hands of the Mapuche and horseback combat became their main strategy.


 * -|Special=Bolas_mapundungun_mapuche_lukay.jpg bolas (plural: bolas or bolases; from Spanish bola, "ball", also known as boleadoras) is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs. Bolas were most famously used by the gauchos, but have been found in excavations of Pre-Columbian settlements, especially in Patagonia, where indigenous peoples (particularly the Tehuelche) used them to catch 200-pound guanaco (llama-like mammals) and ñandú (birds). The Mapuche and the Inca army used them in battle. Researchers have also found bolas in North America at the Calico Early Man Site. Mapuche and Inca were both famous bola users and used them to great effect against their Spanish invaders.


 * -|Armor=Poncho_mapuche.jpgos are clothings of Mapuche origins, made from plant materials. They were used to keep the wearer warm and protect them from getting scratched up my branches or thorns. In combat, however, they were of very limited use. They might have been able to protect from very long-ranged arrows and sling rocks, but they were otherwise pretty much useless in terms of armor. This, however, wan’t a problem for the Mapuche, who prefered using mobility and speed to ambush their enemies and strike with full velocity and strength. While this made them vulnerable to all forms of damage, it meant that Mapuche could set up ambushes, attack with maximum shock, deal as much damage as possible, then retreat quickly before the enemy can retaliate. Mapuche warriors also didn't carry shields, as they would slow them down and make it harder to use two-handed weapons like the lance.