Page:Historia Verdadera del Mexico profundo.djvu/131

prisoners of both sides were honored by their final destination.

Far from being a war of extermination and prey, such as that of the europeans, the florid wars of the Aztecs, although had suffered a grotesque change, because they changed the spiritual sacrifice for the material. The flower Battle ceased to be an internal struggle, to become a struggle for taking prisoners for the sacrificial stone; it maintained a sense of spiritual greatness, although altered.

Warriors going to florid wars carried on their shoulders the immense social and religious "keep alive the Fifth Sun" responsibility. There was no other activity in the Aztec culture with a higher honor, as it "served", not only to the people, but basically the universe.

"The cause that moved so many to war, although the main was their self-interest and gain honor and property; the second cause was not having their life in anything and the blessed that gained those that died in war and hence called it xochiyaoyotl war, that means "florid war", and therefore, they called the death of the dying in war xuchimiquiztli, that means "pink death, joyful and blessed death". (Fray Diego Durán.)

It was precisely the Toltec spiritual symbolism changes, that Tlacaelel implemented, what gave the Mexica a materialistic—mystic—warrior doctrine. The Toltec flower battle of inner and spiritual character was changed by a flower battle against neighbors and made with "relatively harmless" weapons. These postclassical period wars intensified in the last two hundred years before the arrival of the Spaniards, during the formation of the Triple Alliance and the consolidation of the Aztec Empire. These wars were usually rather symbolic and ritual; although the Aztecs came to exceptionally "punish" some people, commonly did not destroy cities and certainly did not annihilate the civilian population.