<P> Flower wars were generally less lethal than typical wars, but a long - running flower war could become increasingly deadly over time . For example, in a long - running flower war between the Aztecs and the Chalcas, there were few battle deaths at the start . After time had passed, captured commoners started to be killed, but captured nobles were frequently released; sacrifice was not always the fate of captives . However, after further time had passed, captive nobles were killed along with the commoners . This increased the cost of the flower war for both the Aztecs and the Chalcas . Interestingly, the Aztecs considered flower war death to be more noble than dying in a typical war; this can be seen in the word for a flower war death, xochimiquiztli, which translates to "flowery death, blissful death, fortunate death ." Further, the Aztecs thought that those who died in a flower war would be transported to the heaven where Huitzilopochtli (the supreme god of sun, fire, and war) lived . </P> <P> There appear to be a variety of reasons that the Aztecs engaged in flower wars . Historians have thought that flower wars were fought for purposes including combat training and capturing humans for religious sacrifice . Historians note evidence of the sacrifice motive: one of Cortez's captains, Andres de Tapia, once asked Moctezuma II why the stronger Aztec Empire had not yet conquered the nearby state of Tlaxcala outright . The emperor responded by saying that although they could have if they had wanted to, the Aztecs had not done so because war with Tlaxcala was a convenient way of gathering sacrifices and training their own soldiers . However, scholars such as Frederic Hicks question that the main purpose of the flower war was to gain sacrifices . Tlaxcalan historian Munoz Camargo noted that the Aztecs would often besiege Tlaxcalan towns and cut off trade, which was uncharacteristic of a typical flower war . For this reason, proponents of Hicks' idea believe that the Aztecs did want to conquer the Tlaxcalans, but that they simply could not for some reason . </P> <P> Despite many scholars' doubts about the sacrifice motive of the flower war, Hicks asserts that Moctezuma II's explanations of the flower war (gaining sacrifices and combat training) were logical, given that the Aztecs did place a heavy importance on both sacrifice and martial ability . Fighting in actual warfare was a mandatory part of training for warriors of the noble class, and it was heavily encouraged for warriors of lower classes as well . Given these factors, Hicks suggests that Moctezuma II's stated reasons may have been genuine and not just an excuse for military failure . </P> <P> However, some scholars have suggested that the flower war served purposes beyond gaining sacrifices and combat training . For example, Hassig states that for the Aztecs, "flower wars were an efficient means of continuing a conflict that was too costly to conclude immediately ." As such, a purpose of these wars was to occupy and wear down the enemy's fighting force . By requiring an equal number of soldiers on each side, the Aztecs made the battle seem balanced at first; however, the side with fewer overall troops suffered more because the losses comprised a greater percentage of their total forces . Through this, the Aztecs used the flower wars to weaken their opponents . Furthermore, since fewer soldiers took part in flower war as compared to a traditional war, the practice of flower war allowed the Aztecs to hold a potential threat at bay while focusing the bulk of their forces elsewhere . </P>

The aztec objective of the flowery war was to