Editing Aztec warfare (section)

===Combat===
[[File:Codex Magliabecchi Aztec conch shell trumpeter quiquizoani.png|thumb|270px|This is a [[conch shell]] [[trumpeter]] or quiquizoani.]]
[[File:Tovar-122.jpg|thumbnail|left|This page from the [[Codex Tovar]] depicts the burning of a temple from an annexed city.]]
Battles (sometimes called in Nahuatl by the [[metaphorical]] [[diphrasism]] ''ātl tlachinolli'' {{IPA|nah|aːt͡ɬ t͡ɬat͡ʃiˈnolːi|}} – literally "water fire") usually started at dawn but sometimes during the middle of the day – smoke signals were used to show that a battle was beginning and to coordinate attacks between different divisions of the army. The signal to attack was given by the drums ([[Teponaztli]]) and the [[conch shell]] trumpet (quiquiztli) blown by the trumpeter. Usually, the battle began with projectile fire&nbsp;– the bulk of the army was composed of commoners often armed with bows or slings. Then the warriors advanced into melee combat and during this phase, the ''atlatl'' was used&nbsp;– this missile weapon was more effective over shorter distances than slings and bows, and much more lethal. The first warriors to enter into melee were the most distinguished warriors of the ''Cuachicque'' and the ''Otontin'' societies; then came the Eagles and Jaguars, and lastly the commoners and unpracticed youths. Until entering into melee order rank was maintained and the Aztecs would try to surround or outflank the enemy, but once the melee began the ranks dissolved into a fray of individual hand-to-hand fighting. Youths participating in battle for the first time would usually not be allowed to fight before the Aztec victory was ensured, after which they would try to capture prisoners from the fleeing enemy. It is said that, particularly during flower wars, Aztec warriors would try to capture rather than kill their foes, sometimes striving to cut a hamstring or otherwise incapacitate their opponents. This has been used as an argument to explain the defeat of the Aztecs by the Spanish<ref>Clendinnen, Inga (1991) Aztecs: An Interpretation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.</ref> but this argument has been rejected by many historians – since sources clearly state that Aztecs did kill their Spanish opponents whenever they had the chance, and quickly adapted their combat strategies to their new opponents.<ref>Lockhart, James (ed. and trans.) (1993);''We People Here: Nahuatl Accounts of the Conquest of Mexico''. Berkeley: University of California Press.</ref><ref>Restall, Matthew. ''Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest''. [[Oxford University Press]] (2003), {{ISBN|0-19-516077-0}} ch. 7</ref> Other Aztec tactical maneuvers included feigned retreats and ambushes where small portions of Aztec forces would attack and then fall back and lure the enemy into a trap where many more warriors were hidden in the terrain. If a defending enemy retreated into their city the battle was continued there&nbsp;– but normally the objective was to conquer a city rather than destroy it. Once the city was conquered the main temple would be set on fire signaling far and wide, to all concerned, the Aztec victory. If enemies still refused to surrender the rest of the city could be burned as well, but this was uncommon.<ref>The description of Aztec combat is condensed from Hassig, 1988, chapter 7</ref>