How did the Aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war?
How did one prisoner fight back?
In Mexico, during the era of the Aztecs, the goal of warfare was not to kill enemy combatants but to capture them… for ritual sacrifice.
Most prisoners of war were simply slaughtered. Their hearts were cut out and offered to the God of the Sun.
But important prisoners were given a chance to defend themselves… sort of.
In front of a pumped up crowd, they were tied to a large stone disk. To defend themselves, they were given a piece of wood decorated with feathers. Then they were set upon by elite Aztec warriors, armed with battle swords.
Most died quickly.
But one prisoner – a rebel name Tlahuicole – fought and killed no less that 20 Aztec warriors.
How did he do it?
All is revealed in Museum Secrets: Inside Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology.
Further Questions
To find out more about the Aztec weapons that Tlahuicole faced, we invite you to visit aztec-history.com.
2 Comments
djdhsgkd • #36 • 2013-02-13 16:23:08
cool
Montserrat • #58 • 2013-09-23 15:06:05
Very interesting. \nI am a History teacher for grade 4 and 5. I take pride on making sure the information I pass is from reliable sources. I found that your information is very consistent with all the books I have read. Please send me all the links