Aztec ‘Arrow Knights’

[Martin Smith]

This query popped up on Fanaticus. Can anyone shed light??

" What Ever Became of the Aztec Arrow Knight??
I still remember receiving Book 2 of the WRG6th Edition Lists via mail order when in my mid teens and being excited about the possibilities for the multitude of new armies that could be used

Of course my excitement hit a new level when I stumbled onto the "Mexican List"

Aztecs, colourful and with lots of A grade troops with 2 Handed Cutting Weapons AND shooting weapons to soften up the opposition

A Sacred Standard back when they meant something - (because the big plus to the reaction test meant your A and B grade troops (even regulars) would go hell for leather impetuous).

The stuff dreams were made of for a young wargamer bored with the Classical standards from WRG5th.

In those days there were three types of Aztec Warrior societies - called "Knights" back then
Jaguar and Eagle - self explanatory; and
Arrow Knights - the blurb at the bottom of the list describes them as Archery specialists who dressed in the costume of any bird EXCEPT the Eagle and they were armed with 2HCW, Bow and Shield.

Tin Soldier who were quick off the mark to make a range of Aztec figures modelled them just like the Eagle Knight but with Bow in the hand that also held their shield.

I even read an additional source, not a good one I admit, but Gary Jennings' novel "Aztec" had the main character conversing with the commander of an army - an Arrow Knight dressed as an owl.

By the time we get to the world of DBM/M, Warrior and FOG I suddenly notice all reference to the Arrow Knight gone.  When I google it the only references I find is to a type of warrior available in the Age of Empires computer game, and some guy showing how he painted one (though this one is not an archery specialist, instead throws an oversize arrow) in his painting blog.

Just curious -  Was the Arrow Knight just a dubious troop type that went the same way as the displaced Roman Legionaries in the Chinese Border Nomad list from the same book (which at the time were an article of faith for wargamers too. "

[Anton]

So far as I recall there turned out to be no evidence for an Aztec elite archer warrior society.  So as you suspect they went the way of the Chinese Border Nomad Roman Legionaries.

[Duncan Head]

From a TMP discussion:

As for the existence of the Arrow Warriors, there are small tantalizing hints of their existence. However, there is no mention of them in any of the surviving Codices or in any of the writings of the Conquistadores or later writers. There is no Nahuatl term for Arrow Warrior. There are no pictures of Arrow warriors. The Codex Mendoza shows uniforms of Eagles, Jaguars, Quauhchiques and Ontontin, but no Arrow uniforms. If I had to bet on it, I'd say they didn't exist.

There's also an article here which also reckons there is no evidence for them.

[Martin Smith]

Many thanks both.....I and another guy have passed it on. Helpful replies, always appreciated 👍🏼