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A colourful Aztec cape with a floral design; Codex Magliabechiano, page 4 (Click on image to enlarge) |
There were seven ranks a warrior could pass through, and for each successful step up he was rewarded with ever more beautiful and distinguished cloaks or capes. When not kitted out as a warrior, he could wear this cape in public on special occasions as a mark of honour (a bit like soldiers sporting their medals and rank today).
Note, from the main picture, that the youthful warrior is shown looking very similar to his captive: both wear simple quilted cotton armour, carry an undecorated shield and identical obsidian-spiked war clubs. The victor holds his prisoner by a tuft of hair from the top of his head, forcing him down into a ‘surrender’ position that’s always used in codices to show a captured/conquered person.
Information from The Essential Codex Mendoza by Frances Berdan and Patricia Rieff Anawalt, 1997.
Pictures sources:-
• Image from the Codex Mendoza scanned from our own copy of the James Cooper Clark 1938 facsimile edition, London
• Image from the Codex Magliabechiano scanned from our own copy of the ADEVA 1970 facsimile edition, Graz, Austria.
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