ABSTRACT
This chapter starts with a brief overview of Mesoamerica, followed by broad comment on the nature of war and violent conflict in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, highlighting the commonalities and key differences among its most well-known and best studied societies. By doing so this chapter touches on the central question, why did indigenous Mesoamericans go to war? The chapter then focuses on the role of captive-taking in the origins and consequences of Mesoamerican warfare and concludes with an overview of the warriors who fought in ancient Mesoamerican conflicts.
