Editing Aztec warfare (section)

===Training===
The formal education of the Aztecs was to train and teach young boys how to function in their society, particularly as warriors. The Aztecs had a relatively small standing army. Only the elite soldiers, part of the warrior societies (such as the Jaguar Knights), and the soldiers stationed at the few Aztec fortifications were full-time. Nevertheless, every boy was trained to become a warrior with the exception of nobles. Trades such as farming and artisan skills were not taught at the two formal schools. All boys who were between the ages of ten and twenty years old would attend one of the two schools: the Telpochcalli or the neighborhood school for commoners, and the Calmecac which was the exclusive school for nobles. At the Telpochcalli, students would learn the art of warfare, and would become warriors. At the Calmecac students would be trained to become military leaders, priests, government officials, etc.

The sons of commoners were trained in the ''[[Tēlpochcalli]]'' {{IPA|nah|teːɬpot͡ʃˈkalːi|}} "house of youth". Once a boy reached the age of ten, a section of hair on the back of his head was grown long to indicate that he had not yet taken captives in war. At age fifteen, the father of the boy handed the responsibility of training to the telpochcalli, who would then train the boy to become a warrior. The telpochcalli was accountable for the training of approximately 419 to 559 youths between the ages of fifteen and twenty years old.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassig |first=Ross |title=Chapter 3 Aztec Warfare Imperial Expansion and Political Control: in Military Training |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1995}}</ref> While the boys were in training, they were given basic duties, such as cleaning the house and making fires. The youth were tested to determine how fit they would be for battle by accompanying their leaders on campaigns as shield-bearers. War captains and veteran warriors had the role of training the boys how to handle their weapons. This generally included showing them how to hold a shield, how to hold a sword, how to shoot arrows from a bow and how to throw darts with an atlatl.<ref>Hassig, R. 1988, 32–33.</ref> Boys in training were only considered real men when they captured their first warrior.<ref>Clendinnen, I. 1991, 78.</ref>
[[File:Arma curva mixteca Vindobonensis 48-III.jpg|thumb|Mixtec curved weapon or curved Tepoztli]]
Sons of the nobles were trained at the ''[[calmecac]]'' {{IPA|nah|kalˈmekak|}} ("lineage house") and received sophisticated training in warfare from the most experienced warriors in the army, as well as in general courtly subjects such as [[astronomy]], [[tonalpohualli|calendrics]], [[rhetorics]], [[poetry]] and [[Aztec religion|religion]]. The ''calmecac'' were attached to temples as a dedication to patron gods. For example, the calmecac in the main ceremonial complex of Tenochtitlan was dedicated to the god [[Quetzalcoatl]]. Although there is uncertainty about the exact ages that boys entered into the calmecac, according to evidence that recorded the king's sons entering at the age of five and sons of other nobles entering between the ages of six and thirteen, it seems that youth began their training here at a younger age than those in the telpochcalli did.<ref>Hassig, R. 1988, 34–35.</ref>

When formal training in handling weapons began at age fifteen, youth would begin to accompany the seasoned warriors on campaigns so that they could become accustomed to military life and lose the fear of battle. At age twenty, those who wanted to become warriors officially went to war. The parents of the youth sought out veteran warriors, bringing them foods and gifts with the objective of securing a warrior to be the sponsor of their child. Ideally, the sponsor would watch over the youth and teach him how to take captives. However, the degree to which the warrior looked after and helped the noble's child depended greatly on the amount of payment received from the parents. Thus, sons of high nobility tended to succeed more often in war than those of lower nobility.<ref>Hassig, R. 1988, 35–36.</ref>
[[File:Codex Mendoza folio 65r.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A page from the Codex Mendoza depicting an Aztec warrior priest and Aztec priest rising through the ranks of their orders.]]