Richard Lemmens website
Copyright:
Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike
This text content and maps on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license license. This means that: adapting the content is allowed; using the content for commercial purposes is not allowed; sharing and redistributing the content with others is allowed. If you do any of the above, you must attribute your copy to its creator, Richard Lemmens, and make sure any alterations and distributions are licensed in the same way as the original. More info about Creative Commons licenses can be found at the Creative Commons website.

Warmatrix

War Matrix - Teotihuacan

Roman Ascent 200 BCE - 120 CE, Armies and troops

Teotihuacan warrior
Teotihuacan warrior
The city state of Teotihuacan took off around 100 BCE and later dominated the Valley of Mexico for several centuries. It was the Olmec that set up the first civilization in the region, but Teotihuacan created the first conquering state, absorbing neighboring cities. They did so by innovating their military.
The army of Teotihuacan introduced body armor, until then unknown in the Americas. It was made of quilted cotton, many layers thick and capable of stopping most weapons. Cotton armor was expensive and probably reserved for the best warriors in the front ranks. The physical protection of the cotton was enhanced by spiritual protections: back-mirrors, feathers, headdresses and Tlaloc goggles. All this armor enabled them to reduce the size of their shields, making them easier to carry. Feather curtains were hung at the bottom of these to conceal the actual size and hide the legs from sight.
The army was further enhanced by introducing specialization. One group was armed with javelins and atlatals. Slings were also used. They disrupted the enemy formation. After this, spearmen and warriors armed with clubs and maces closed in to finish the job. However the most important innovation was in recruitment. Teotihuacan did not only get its warriors from the upper classes, like its rival the Zapotecs, but also enlisted commoners as a seasonal militia force. All were trained in the standard weapons and tactics.
The numbers and quality of its soldiers gave the state an edge and in the 1st century BCE it started to carve out a small empire. Its recruitment model allowed it to absorb other peoples, ethnically and culturally different, molding them into the Teotihuacan organization. The city itself probably reached 150,000 inhabitants around 450 CE. The expansion did not go on endlessly, as it was limited by logistical constraints. The demands of trade and tribute on cities in the perimeter of the empire grew and when drought set in, Teotihuacan rapidly declined. The system collapsed around 550 CE, reducing state and city back to a normal size and reverting the Valley of Mexico to a region of small independent states.
The later Toltecs and Aztecs acknowledged Teotihuacan as their great example, though they certainly did not copy all of Teotihuacans features.