Mexica Chimalli ( Aztec Shields )

Cuachicqueh Military Order
The Cuachicqueh Military Order might all have used the distinctive shield illustrated, however, I have seen the same shield associated with other suits in the tribute lists of Codex Mendoza.




Huaxtec style uniform
Some, but not all, warriors wearing a Huaxtec style uniform had shields that matched the suit pattern. The 2 captive warrior illustrated is a good example, but there are others.

Some Huaxtec uniforms also featured a truncated form of the same hat.   


Quetzalcuexyochimalli ("Quetzal feather Huaxtec shield")
Just glancing through the various illustrations available to me it seems that patterns with nose-moons and curved bands appear to be the most common shield designs for both Aztec and Texcalan Suit Wearers. The colours vary, and the number and position of the curved bands vary, but the general look is the same



In the Codex Mendosa it is carried by a 4-captive warrior, 2/3 of those wearing jaguar suits (who by definition have also taken 4-captives),
382 of the shields in the tribute section of Codex Mendosa are of this type, making it the most common depicted (Heath 1999). 300 of these have alternating red and yellow banded rim, but the remaining ones have the plain yellow depicted.

The feather fringe could also have red in place of the yellow.



Appears in a tribute list of the Codex Mendosa next to a red suit with a backbanner including a large red feather fan.

This particular shield is carried by a blue suited Jaguar Warrior in Pohl (1991, Plate B1 Triple Alliance Jaguar Warrior).   


Appears in a tribute list of the Codex Mendosa next to a Jaguar suit (white with black spots)


Appears in a tribute list of the Codex Mendosa next to a blue frightful spectre suit.


Wise (1980) gives this as the shield of a Texcalan captain.

Texcalan shield



This shield appears to be almost as popular with Texcalans as the Quetzalcuexyochimalli mentioned above. I've seen it illustrated many times in various Codices being carried by Texcalans, but only one instance of it being carried by an Aztec. Unlike other shield designs, the colours of this one always seem to be the same.

Heath (1999) illustrates a similar shield carried only by Aztec rulers - called a Teocuitlateteyochimalli ("Silver stones shield"). It differs by having white full and partial pellets instead of the circles and semi-circles.



Texaxacalochimalli ("thick lips shield")
The Texaxacalochimalli ("thick lips shield") had stylised eyes and mouth. Texaxacalochimalli were very common and occurred in various colours. The example to the left is from Heath (1999) although the colours are conjectural.   
The other examples take the style to extreme showing just circles and lines.   


From b/w illustration from Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Carried by a suit wearer. Colours conjectural, but based on a similar shield with three circles.   This is one of the shields definitely carried by both Texcalans and Aztecs


From b/w illustration from Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Carried by a Texcalan suit wearer. Colours conjectural.


A 3 circle variation on the design above. From Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Carried by a suit wearer.


An slightly more elaborate version again.

Representations of Quetzalcoatl ("Feathered serpent")
All are rendered in black and white, usually with white dots (stars) on the black part (Heath, 1999).   The number of stars could vary.



This is the shield of the 4 captive Warrior Priest. The Priest wears a black suit and Huaxtec hat, both with white dots like the shield. (see Pohl, 1991, Plate C2 Mexica Warrior Priest ).



Shield with a feathered serpent from a b/w illustration from Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Carried by a Texcalan suit wearer. Colours conjectural, but likely to be black and white - note the lack of stars.   

That is something I often wonder about.

True. It is a common misconception that the Spaniards were the backbone of the force that toppled the Aztec Empire. 

hey jalisco, i thought u'd be interested in this one check out these shields
that i found on the net the feather work is beautiful and amazing
s1

http://www.consciousart.de/galleries/mixed-media/apodaca.php

I am sorry, but can you please refresh the images. Looks like these links are off now.

Jalisco Lancer me podrias enviar por favor el link o las imagenes de los Chimallis que pusiste arriba?? es que no los puedo mirar solo salen cuadritos con una X...

interesting! The featherwork shields that were used by quite a few mexican and central american nations have always been an interest of mine.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's possible that the feathers actually helped make the shield more resilient, quite apart from their decorative use. Can't remember precisely where, though.

Presumably it worked fairly well, otherwise they would have used different materials. I also read somewhere that the "tails" of featherwork or cloth hanging down from the shields were actually there to slow or tangle up enemy strikes. It's admittedly hard to see how well that would actually work, but It's not out of the realm of possibility.