Image: Codex Mendoza folio 67r bottom

Description: Aztec warriors. Six differing levels of military achievement are depicted in Codex Mendoza for young men who are destined to become priests. The first is a novice who has had made one capture. He wears a simple ichcahuipilli or quilted armour jacket. Those who had made two captures were awarded a white feather ornamented tlahuiztli, a tightly fitting body suit. A third capture entitled the warrior-priest to a wear a green tlahuiztli. A fourth capture entitles a priest to wear a remarkable black and white conical hat adopted from the Huaxtec people of Veracruz. The white dots and swirl on his shield signify a constellation of stars. Five captures entitles the warrior to carry a special shield ornamented with an eagle's foot while the highest ranking soldiers were awarded a yellow tlahuiztli and a helmet carved in the shape of a mountain lion.
Title: Codex Mendoza folio 67r bottom
Credit: Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. [1] Original document held at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Shelfmark: MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1.
Author: Unknown
Permission: as below
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No