This book argues that the Aztecs lived in an almost perpetual state of war because it was convenient for their empire and because it validated the higher elite’s position. Hassig asserts that the empire was politically efficient and that military campaigns were devised to maximize success. This approach differs from traditional views that present Aztec warfare as an ideological imperative and a ritualistic endeavor.
The first part of the book details the political bases of warfare, arms, military life cycle, and specific aspects such as mobilization, logistics, and combat. The second reviews campaigns launched from 1372 to 1521. All this is based on known sources with virtually no new information.
Hassig’s approach is ultimately tested in his narrative of Aztec expansion. His reconstruction of campaigns supposes a logistically sound advance. He looks for a basically linear sequence of places, excluding locations that do not fit into an apparently logical chain. He argues that these locations belong to other campaigns, and blames the sources for the discrepancy. The problem is, however, much more complex. Most sources refer to Aztec expansion with lists of toponyms. Hassig assumes that virtually all of these identify “towns conquered.” In fact, the lists also include places subdued by nonmilitary means, but Hassig examines this superficially. Prehispanic polities, however, developed different degrees of complexity; some had enclaves or dependencies even in distant places. Alliances and political maneuvers undoubtedly influenced the geography of expansion, presenting many aspects that defy inclusion in a narrow conception of military advance.
One notes other problems, too. Hassig’s analysis of the most distant campaigns, where logistical problems were likely to be more complex, is relatively weak. The occurrence of several successive “conquests” of a given place—due to repeated rebellion—frequently goes without comment. Several locations are misplaced in the maps, a given location is identified (sometimes confusedly) with a different number in each map; there are disturbing errors, as when Ahuilizapán appears as Alahuiztlán twice on p. 170. Hassig’s review of so many campaigns in a ponderous narrative cries out for a system of references, careful examination of each source, extensive lists and tables, and perhaps some of those graphics of spatial analysis developed by geographers.
Indeed, although Hassig’s maps helpfully depict passable, rugged, and impassable terrain, his classification is based on topography. In central Mexico, however, impassable areas are defined mainly by vegetation, not topography, and, in mountain areas, Hassig’s “passable” valley bottoms (barrancas) usually provide the worst routes. The author depicts as passable both the once impenetrable rainforest south of modern Córdoba and the Salado basin in Puebla, uninhabited due to the absence of surface water.
Hassig’s approach is refreshing in a field frequently obsessed with the interpretation of symbol and ritual. But he does not develop an argument conclusive enough for a truly revisionist beginning. His points often fail when reality is different from what he describes. Although he claims not to rule out the role of religion and ideology, he virtually does so, and the ultimate reason for war remains obscure. He undoubtedly discloses part of the truth, but not all. Aztec Warfare is full of good ideas, but the topic is far more complex than Hassig conceives.
