Carolyn Baus Czitrom discusses the presence of the bow, arrow, double-edged swords, and human sacrifice in Postclassic Era West Mexico.

Date
1985
Type
Book
Source
Carolyn Baus Czitrom
Non-LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Reference

Carolyn Baus Czitrom, “The Tecuexes: Ethnohistory and Archaeology,” in The Archaeology of West and Northwest Mexico, ed. Michael S. Foster and Phillip C. Weigland (London: Routledge, 1985), 102-3, 105

Scribe/Publisher
Routledge
People
Carolyn Baus Czitrom
Audience
Reading Public
PDF
Transcription

WAR AND RELIGION

Human Sacrifice and Anthropophagy

As in the Central Highlands, warfare was an important part of Postclassic life for people of West Mexico. On entering Tecuexe territory Guzmán made many references to people at war, one province with another. During the battle of Tonallan the Spaniards discovered what excellent warriors the Tecuexes were, and soldiers who had fought in other parts of New Spain declared “they had seen no braver or more daring Indians than these” (Guzmán 1879:372).

Their weapons were “bows and arrows and macanas and double-edged swords, made of wood, and some slings and shields,” and for battle “they wore many plumes and painted themselves, believing that by looking very ugly, like devils, they would frighten the Christians” (Guzmán 1870:372).

The Lienzo de Tlaxcalla (1964: pls. 54 to 57) illustrates Teceuxe warriors in action; Plate 54 (Fig. 3.2) shows them defending Tototlan-Cuinao against Spanish troops and their Tlaxcallan allies. It is not clear whether this represents the 1530 battle of Conquest or a scene from the Mixton War of 1541-1542. Several features described above are apparent, and thanks to the Tlaxcallan artist, the picture shows graphically the heat of the battle. Tecuexe warriors fight behind two defensive lines of stone boulders and carry shields with various decorative devices. Offensive weapons include a macana, bows (perhaps recurved) and arrows, and what appear to be flattened disk-like stones (sling propelled?) flying through the air. The native warriors are nude except for loincloths. Their hair is held back by a band adorned in front with a feather (?); an elaborate feathered headdress is worn by the sole figure wielding a macana and probably signifies higher rank. An unusual feature is a stripe around the heads of the Tecuexes at eye level. This must have been painted on since the eyes shows through it, and therefore it cannot be the leather headband worn by the Zacatecs (Tello 1891:II:108). The name Cuinao-Tototlan (“place of birds”) is represented by the hieroglyph of a bird standing on a hill.

Tecuexe towns were often located on hilltops for defense with a series of walls for greater protection. Mixton War, and at Nochistlan these ramparts were made both of wood and stone (Acazitli 1971:309-311).

Chroniclers of our zone often mention that the “friends” of the Spaniards (Indian allies brought from Central Mexico) would rampage through the villages, burning houses and temples, sometimes in spite of orders to the contrary (e.g. Carranza 1963:158-159). It can be assumed that these Indians were merely carrying out a prehispanic custom that signalled defeat of a community.

Various statements affirm that the Indians roasted and ate the enemy killed in battle. This does not seem to involve ritual sacrifice and differs from the Central Highlands, where the “Guerras Floridas” were precisely for capturing prisoners alive to be sacrificed later with prescribed ceremony. In Cuinacuaro the Indians ate human flesh (Sámano 1971:265), and the Spaniards found there may remains of roasted Indians. The Guzmán version (1870:360) states that “we found many dead and sacrificed people . . . and many ovens with their meat which they were in the habit of eating,” and father on (Guzmán 1870:363) that “they found a great banquet of ovens full of Indians.” One of Guzmán’s soldiers (Arceo 1963:251) writes that “the Indians of those provinces are Caribes who eat human flesh whenever they can obtain it.” Another suggestion of cannibalism is a threat the Indians made to kill the Spaniards and eat them, “making tamales of their flesh” (Tello 1891:II:84).

Other references, however, do suggest there was ritual sacrifice performed in the temples. In the Tonallan province “they have many temples . . . and are great sacrificers” (Guzmán 1870:373). When people of this province learned that their cacica has promised to receive the Spaniards precisely, they threatened her with sacrifice (Guzmán 1870:374).

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