It was designed to appeal and relate to a European audience, hence the medieval-looking towers, domes and spires; the alphabetic glosses; a wicker dyke; houses drawn in perspective (a style not used in pre-Spanish Aztec art); a Classical-style sculpture; two lions among the native zoo animals; a small cross attached to the great temple; and a prominent Habsburg flag.
regional political and military stature.
Particularly relevant for the Mexica themselves was the distinction between the broad categories Chichimeca and Tolteca, essentially a distinction between ‘barbaric’ and ‘civilized’. Although they adopted the trappings of the sophisticated Tolteca to authenticate their quests for power and expansion, the Mexica never abandoned their Chichimeca heritage and the warrior prestige it embodied; they proudly retained and displayed their Chichimeca titles and symbolism.
In Aztec times ethnicities were defined by shared cultural commonalities, with little or no consideration given to biological characteristics (race). Some shared traits, such as distinctive language, clothing and other adornments, warrior regalia and hairstyles, were overt and easily recognized by all. Language was a primary means of identifying and classifying people: the Otomí spoke Otomí, the Totonaca spoke Totonac, and so on. From the point of view of the Mexica, their own language Nahuatl (meaning ‘good speech’) was the most refined and proper means of expression; they thought that most others who spoke Nahuatl only spoke it imperfectly, and some other groups such as the Totonaca spoke ‘barbarous tongues’.
as the Mexica saw it, the Teochichimeca wore animal skins, the Matlatzinca wore coarse capes woven of maguey (agave) fibres, the Totonaca wore brightly striped capes and skirts, the Otomí overdid it with gaudy clothing, and Huaxteca men wore nice capes but scandalized the Mexica by wearing no breech clouts. Bodily embellishments such as face paint or nose, lip and hair adornments immediately identified members of specific ethnic groups. Courageous warriors who captured enemies on the battlefield were rewarded with specially designed feathered costumes and shields.
Ethnic emblems may seem straightforward and defining, but this was far from the case in the dynamic Aztec world. In fact, adoption of these markers could confound identities, as all of these groups (including the Mexica) were willing to adopt ethnically specific styles and designs that caught their eye. This was true of clothing, warrior costumes and even language; bilingualism was fairly common throughout central Mexico, especially among nobles.
So-called ‘flowery wars’ were ostensibly fought to allow opportunities for warriors to practise their skills and hopefully distinguish themselves by capturing enemy combatants for ritual human sacrifice.