>>8578415Right, exactly.
What you're seeing there is an actual pretty typical example of a higher ranked Aztec soldier, with their distinctive hairstyles, wearing a Tlahuiztli warsuit, using a atlatl dart thrower (they'd probably also have a Macuahuitl or a Tepoztopilli halbred on them though, not just an atlatl) and with an accurate shield emblem and back banner, etc (Specifically a soldier in the Otomi knightly order, named after a seperate mesoamerican civilization of the same name), but people are taught so little about Mesoamerican history and culture and what they are taught is such filled with bullshit and media depictions are so often totally inaccurate, that the average person wouldn't even know that was "Aztec" if you didn't tell them.
Pic related for example has largerly accurate recreations of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec captial, but same deal: Somebody would probably think this was a fantasy city or maybe a Mesopotamian or Minoan one rather then "Aztec", since to most people "Aztec" just means "Jungle tribe that built big pyramids"
