As is known, between the 12th and 16th centuries, the Mexicas held sway over other towns in the center and south of our territory, such as Veracruz, Oaxaca and the State of Mexico; in part thanks to a powerful army, where an elite squad stood out, that of the eagle warrior and the jaguar warrior.
the eagle warrior
known as cuauhpilli, which means noble eagle in Nahuatl, was an elite warrior of the ancient Mexica Empire who belonged to the nobility and who, through his own merits, showing intelligence and skill, could enter the school for nobles known as calmecac. Once there, he would learn how to rule until he obtained the prestigious rank and then, once in the army, command the troops.
However, for this purpose it was essential that he capture a first prisoner of war and only then would he be able to be cuauhpilli. As for his clothing, he wore a helmet made of wood that represented the head of an eagle.
the jaguar warrior
Unlike cuauhpilli, the aztec jaguar warrior u oceopilli in the Nahuatl language, he could have come from the lowest class within Mexica society, known as the macehuales.
He was also an elite soldier within the Mexica armed forces, who had successfully passed the barrio school or capulli at the age of seven and according to his destiny (tonali), abilities and the favor of the gods, he would be one of the soldiers of the powerful army of Tenochtitlán. Let us remember that only a select few would become so.
What is the difference between eagle warrior and jaguar?
As we mentioned above, the difference was their origin; the first belonged to the noble class, while the second came from the lower class or the mācēhualtin. It should be noted that according to Mexica mythology, the eagle respectively represented light or the sun.
Likewise, the jaguar symbolized Tezcatlipoca, the god of the night sky. In the same way, the Mexicas believed that by wearing clothing that emulated these animals, they would receive their strength in battle.
Also, It is worth mentioning that both warriors were experts in hand-to-hand combat, as well as in handling all weapons, among which stood out the dagger and the obsidian spears.
Finally, experts consider that these warriors were so lethal, that one of them could defeat three enemies; and they were so feared that their mere presence demotivated their enemies.