Both were armed with spears—an odd choice for a sentry. It seemed that while all the townsfolk receive rudimentary weapons training as children, most didn’t maintained those skills as adults. We arrived back at the camp in the late afternoon. One of the farmers told us of a town called Zavala some five days away. A band of 25 warriors drilled in front of the barracks on the east side of the square. The town sat a few hundred meters north of the banks of a massive, slow-moving river. The land sloped gently down on all sides towards the village and the riverbank. We killed the elderly, diseased, and feeble, and took the rest as slaves. Children played on the beach and in the streets. They had posted no watch and the only weapons we found were hunting bows. Children played on the beach and in the streets. It seemed that while all the townsfolk receive rudimentary weapons training as children, most didn’t maintained those skills as adults. There were gardens on the three sides of the town facing land, tall rows of grain on the west and northwest sides. It took two more hours to reach the top of the rise.
