Conquistador War Tactics

"The entire human race is one ... all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Bartolomé de las Casas

 This has been one of the most difficult posts to write.  There are no winners in war and the brutality of conquest is never elegant.  As I began my research my mind was prepared for the atrocities I thought I knew.  I was wrong.  Perhaps I am guilty of judging the past too harshly using today’s humane standards of justice and equality.  It happened 500 years ago but my findings disturbed me greatly. 

Weapons

The ranks of the invading Spanish conquerors were divided between cavalry and foot soldiers.  Only those of noble blood and rich enough to afford a horse as well as the necessary provisions comprised the horsemen of the cavalry.  Another factor was the ability to afford the cavalry’s weapons of warfare; lances and swords.  Although the lances were simple long wooden poles the iron or steel spear tips at the end were costly.  Even more costly would be to own your own sword and the mark of a noble or hidalgo would be the owner of a Toledo sword.  They were about 3 feet long and narrow and sharp on both sides. They could bend in a half circle and were strong enough to withstand a blow to metal armor.

The small armies of the Conquistadors were mostly made up of a motley crew from the low ranks of Spanish society.  Criminals avoiding the gallows, peasant farmers, artisans and those of lower noble blood filled the ranks in hope of obtaining the spoils of war in order to elevate their station in life.  The foot soldiers commonly used a “Harquebus” which was a large musket of sorts.  This is the weapon the natives feared since it created the sound of thunder, but it use was limited because it needed to be reloaded slowly and its wick also needed to be kept lit.

Some soldiers preferred a weapon known as a “Halberd”.  This was a highly versatile weapon that was around six feet long and combined the blade of an ax with a stabling point.  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/conquistador-weapons.html

Armor
Spanish armor, mostly made in Toledo, was among the finest in the world. Encased from head to foot in a steel shell, Spanish conquistadors were all but invulnerable when facing native opponents.

The helmet most commonly associated with the conquistadors was the morion, a heavy steel helm with a pronounced crest or comb on top and sweeping sides that came to points on either end. Some infantrymen preferred a salade, a full-faced helmet that looks a little like a steel ski mask. In its most basic form, it is a bullet-shaped helm with a large T in front for the eyes, nose and mouth. A cabasset helmet was much simpler: it is a large steel cap that covers the head from the ears up: stylish ones would have an elongated dome like the pointy end of an almond.

Most conquistadors wore a full set of armor which consisted of a heavy breastplate, arm and leg greaves, a metal skirt and protection for the neck and throat called a gorget. Even parts of the body such as elbows and shoulders, which require movement, were protected by a series of overlapping plates, meaning that there were very few vulnerable spots on a fully armored conquistador. A full suit of metal armor weighed about sixty pounds and the weight was well-distributed over the body, allowing it to be worn for long periods of time without causing much fatigue. It generally included even armored boots and gloves or gauntlets.

Later in the conquest, as conquistadors realized that full suits of armor were overkill in the New World, some of them switched to lighter chain mail, which was just as effective. Some even abandoned metal armor entirely, wearing "escuapil", a sort of padded leather or cloth armor adapted from the armor worn by Aztec warriors.

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/theconquest/a/09armsconquest_2.htm

War Dogs

The dogs the Conquistadors brought with them were Mastiff breeds who were hardly the lap variety or destined for the plate. These attack dogs, often wearing their own armor, were the common European shock and awe tactic of the period. The first documented New World use of these canine swat teams occurred in 1495 when Bartholomew Columbus, Chris’s brother, used 20 mastiffs in a battle waged at Santa Maris el Antigua, Darien with his brother employing the same approach a year later.  These dogs were trained to pursue, disembowel and dismember humans and to this purpose, enjoyed a human diet in the Americas. The Spanish reveled in holding human hunts called “la Monteria infernal “ where much sport was made of chasing and killing the local men, women and children. 

 Bercerruillo the terror of Borinquen, until he was fallen by 50 arrows, received a salary one and a half times that of an archer from his owner Ponce de Leon.

Leoncillo, Bercerruillo’s son, was Balboa’s warrior, earned over 500 gold pesos in booty during his many campaigns.

Bruto, De Soto’s champion, received 20 slaves as spoils before his career ended.

Scores of firsthand accounts tell us how the dogs attacked local Caciques [chiefs] both dead and alive.  http://elvalleinformation.wordpress.com/spanish-war-dogs/

Torture

From the pen of a Spanish eyewitness comes the cruel some tales of barbaric torture and human cruelty.  The author, Father Bartolome de las Casas, whom I have mentioned already in earlier posts was a contemporary of Christopher Columbus. He came to Hispaniola (modern island of Hatia and Santo Domingo) in 1502.  He started out as a merchant under the law of encomienda…

 

As legally defined in 1503, an encomienda (from encomendar, “to entrust”) consisted of a grant by the crown to a conquistador, soldier, official or others of a specified number of Indians living in a particular area.  The receiver of the grant, the encomendero, could exact tribute from the Indians in gold, in kind, or in labor and was required to protect them and instruct them in the Catholic faith.  The encomienda did not include a grant of land, but in practice the encomenderos gained control of the Indian’s land and failed to fulfill their obligations to the Indian population.

.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186567/encomienda
 
…and became an Indian slave owner.  Almost a decade later he happened a chance to meet a group of Dominican priest who questioned the conquistador’s authority over their Indian slaves.  “Tell me, by what right do hold these Indians in such a cruel and horrible servitude?  Are they not men?”

According to his personal bio this statement was the catalyst he needed and gave up his Indian slaves around 1515 and entered the priesthood.  He felt morally bound to inform the Spanish court what was being carried out in the name of Christ.    http://www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3208-bartolome

Dismemberment

Cutting off Hands

Burning Alive and Smashing Infant's Head

Other Acts of Violence;

·         Fed Indian babies to dogs

·         Hunted adults for sport

·    ·   For a pastime killed 10 to 20 at a time to test the sharpness of their swords

·         Poured boiling soup

·        Beheaded

·         Raped