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The Flower Wars: The Aztec Practice of Sacred Sacrificial Warfare
Bloodshed in the name of the gods
In 1450, a severe drought emerged in the Central Mexican Highlands. The drought caused crop failures and led to starvation among various villages. In the Aztec tradition, crop failures meant that the gods were displeased or weak. The only way to satisfy the needs of their gods was to offer them human blood and human hearts. The blood sustained the Aztec gods. The drier the land, the more blood was required to attempt to reverse the drought.
Unfortunately, the drought persisted for years. 1451 saw more dry weather. The rain didn’t return in 1452. The drought was entrenched for four grueling years in which the summers were hot and dry, and the crops wilted in the sun. This led the Aztecs to take drastic action. At the time, the Aztecs were organized into a Triple Alliance, and the alliance decided to wage a ceremonial war. The gods needed blood, and the Aztecs had a plan to give it to them.
The result was the Flower Wars, a series of ceremonial wars set up with specific rules of engagement designed to create ample prisoners of war who could be carted to nearby temples and sacrificed to the thirsty gods. Unlike traditional wars, these conflicts were set up for religious reasons. The goal wasn’t new lands or money; it was…
