Diana Hughes

Note: we enter this chapter of the textbook about midway through the rule of Moctezuma II. Our history remembers him as the king of the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish conquest. There are conflicting reports about his nature, so I've chosen the one I like best: a priest/scholar who was unwillingly thrust into power, but who took advantage of the opportunity to make some much needed domestic reform.

Moctezuma II, a scholar and priest, is not the warrior-king the Aztecs require. Though his reign is one of great advancement in terms of technology, lawmaking, and education, the Aztec culture cannot sustain a long period of peace. Ultimately, Moctezuma realizes this, and steps aside to make way for a respected military leader. Thus begins the tradition of a dual kingship for the Aztecs: one king (always chosen from the priesthood) serves as overseer of "peacetime" endeavors, while the other (always chosen from the military) oversees war and the expansion of the empire. Between them, the empire continues to expand while matters at home are allowed to develop and solidify as needed.

Because the "domestic king" was always of the priesthood, many domestic reforms took place with a religious lean (though this was sometimes merely a pretext to make changes more palatable). A massive overhaul of the empire's knowledge base takes place: one deity is placed above the others to serve as the king of the gods, and deities from the faiths of principalities are incorporated into a "royal family" of gods. While the work of Tlacaelel and Moctezuma I ensured that the empire had a common history, this overhaul would ensure that all future curriculum had a heavy religious tilt.

A standing army is established to quell rebellion in outlying territories. To aid this process, canals and roads are built to link all parts of the empire, plus several neighboring states. Garrisons are built in all major cities of the empire, as well as at key contested borders. When canal, river, and eventually ocean transportation become more sophisticated, military ports are also established.

Once subject countries are quelled, the Aztecs move to conquer the rest of the territory between the Rio Grande and South America. Part of this conquest is the absorption of the Mayas, and with them, their more advanced technology. Plumbing is developed, as are water wheels. The first allows for greater sanitation within the empire. The second, the mass production of commodities like flour and cloth, which help sustain the country's ever-expanding populace.

With Mexico conquered, the empire needs to find a way to keep the various peoples united and entertain the large military. The domestic king has a "vision" that the Aztecs must find their legendary northern homeland. The military king then orders northward expansion, both in service of this mission and to meet the empire's constant social and economic need for war.

At first, exploration north is slow, hampered by the Aztecs' lack of efficient transportation. However, efficient empire-builders that they are, the Aztecs soon build roads and utilize major waterways (the Rio Grande and Mississippi) to aid in moving men and supplies more efficiently.

Exploration continues in two forks: one up the Rio Grande, the other up the Mississippi. At the north end of the Grande, contact is made with the Pueblo, inhabitants of the southwestern part of what we know as the United States. An alliance forms, owing to the cultures' shared linguistic and cultural heritage. The Pueblos willingly join the empire (it sucks to live in the desert, man). The Aztecs teach them how to build canals and irrigation systems, and slowly flow is diverted from quasi-nearby rivers to where the Pueblo need it. Farming is established, as is travel/trade with the empire proper. The Pueblo are gifted miners and stone masons; they begin to export sandstone, metals, etc. to the southern parts of the empire. A sacred city (like a Jerusalem) becomes the focal point of the Aztec religion; the place where the gods first sent the Aztecs south in search of more fertile land and turned them from hunter-gatherers into farmers.

Via the Mississippi, contact with the plains-based Sioux is made.

Unlike the nomadic hunter/gatherer Sioux, the Aztecs are farmers, and they soon realize what a treasure the plains are. The Aztecs begin to colonize the north, building cities along the major waterways and digging canals where possible. At first, they keep largely to the south, establishing trade and cultural relations with the Sioux. Some Sioux tribes are more open to this relationship than others.

Meanwhile, a great drought sweeps across the empire. The lakes, streams, and canals which form the basis of the Aztecs' irrigation system (as well as a major component of its transportation) begin to recede and disappear. While the Aztecs are able to preserve some of their major waterways by diverting flow from elsewhere, farmland is severely depleted as irrigation becomes impossible.

The northern fields become more and more necessary to the empire's daily survival, and famine and plague sweep the empire. After several lean seasons, the increasingly desperate Aztecs realize that if they are to survive, they must secure a steady supply of both game and grain. They look to the north to meet this need, and exponentially increase colonization. They quickly encroach into Sioux territory. At first, the Sioux welcome their southern friends, wishing to help them through their crisis. However, it becomes increasingly clear that the Aztecs are moving in for good. Relations between the peoples sour.

The Aztecs drop all pretense of respecting traditional Sioux territories. They demand that the Sioux join the empire, and begin to capture and subjugate tribes that resist.

At this point, the myriad Sioux tribes are forced to retreat northward, unite and organize against this threat. (approximately 75 years from initial contact to colonization to war)

A bitter war ensues. The Aztecs are superior in numbers and technology, but the Sioux have the advantage of being nomadic, and therefore faster on the move. The conflict flares up, dies down, and then resumes several times over the next decade. Both sides expend great amounts of lives and resources as the war rages on.

After a decade or so with no clear winner, unrest begins to sweep the Aztec empire. While the populace is accustomed to war (indeed, they demand it), they are extremely unaccustomed to not winning. It becomes increasingly clear that the war is not likely to end any time soon, and that even if the Aztecs do win, the spoils will not be worth the expenditures already made. In addition to this vexing issue, outlying city states, both within and outside the empire, grow restive, and step up efforts to separate from the empire. It is obvious that the Aztecs cannot afford to pursue the Sioux War AND maintain the peace at home.

On the Sioux side, the situation is much the same. While constant access to battle and enemies is essential to the tribe's warrior culture, the Crow and Pawnee make increasingly bold incursions into Sioux territory from the north. The Sioux are hard pressed to keep up fronts at the north and the south, let alone maintain the food supply and production of necessities.

It is unclear exactly how the transition was made, but gradually the Sioux War developed into a "flower war" (see inset). Both parties continued to stage raids and battles, but increasingly, the goal of these skirmishes was largely cultural. Instead of killing, fights resulted in maiming and particularly the taking of captives.

Ultimately the chiefs and ruling councils of both nations decided to formalize this state of affairs, and the war took on the nature of something like a "friendly" rivalry. At Some Major Council, borders were set for Aztec farmland and Sioux hunting grounds, with a contested band of territory in between. Raids into enemy territory were permitted, as was the staging of large scale battles. Whenever possible, warriors were to take pains to maim or capture the enemy, rather than killing. Captured warriors would serve as slaves in the enemy nation; they were exempt from the Aztec ritual of sacrifice, a ritual reserved for hated enemies. In accordance with traditional Aztec tactics, battles were structured as vehicles for warriors to gain status and glory, as well as for youths to learn the intricacies of war without getting killed. This last was particularly important, as it allowed both nations to develop highly skilled warriors, trained in tactics as well as combat. This was attractive to both sides, as both had very real battles to fight at home and with other tribes/cities/nations.

As time wore on, the flower wars grew even more ritualized. They eventually became something of a sport. War parties could lay stakes on a battle before commencing. The "dead" would serve as indentured servants in the enemy's territory for a span of months or years (depending on the stakes), while the losing side might also be required to make some form of payment to the winning side.

Interestingly, small skirmishes became a central part of marriage rites for both nations. The family of the groom would battle the family of the bride for the right to take her from her clan. These bridal battles were often conducted between families of the same nation, but it should be noted that cross-marriage between Sioux and Aztec was not unheard of (though admittedly rare).

Eventually, the equilibrium is broken by the arrival of Europeans. Initial contact plays out in a similar fashion to our world. Explorers realize the vast resources available in the New World, and though initial contact is cordial, they soon return with armies and an intent to conquer.

However, in this conflict, the flower wars and close connection between the two powerful nations pays off. The Gulf Coast is completely unassailable, patrolled as it is by Aztec sailors and land-based war parties. Though landing and colonization are possible in the east, movement westward is blocked by the Sioux, movement south by the Aztecs, and movement north by the Iroquois.

The Europeans are initially the technological superiors, but even this advantage would quickly be lost to them as raiding parties from all native groups quickly obtain horses and firearms through direct theft and the taking of captives. The ensuing conflict between native and interloper would become one of the largest, and most bitterly fought, in human history.