Conquest of Mexico: what weapons did the Spaniards use to dominate the Mexicas

Throughout Mexico's history there have been several episodes, some glorious, and others that have shown us moments of weakness. One of the latter, undoubtedly, was that of the Conquest of Mexico, by Spaniards led by Hernán Cortes, who arrived in Mexican territory to carry it out in 1519.

However, there were several factors that helped to conclude this process of conquest, as the Spaniards allied themselves with several indigenous peoples of the Mexican territory that were under the yoke of the Mexicas, promising them that they would liberate them from them.

In addition, another important factor for the Conquest was undoubtedly that of its armament. The weapons of the Spaniards surpassed those of the Mexicas, which were lethal, but more rudimentary. One of these weapons was the long pike. These instruments of war were used by the infantry. It was a polearm with an extension of between 3 and 5 meters with a blade at the end. These were much longer instruments than Aztec spears.

Also, the Spaniards used another type of weapon called halberds, another polearm that had a sharp edge and a transverse blade at the tip. Because of its shape, the indigenous people called it “bats”.

The first projectile launching weapon that the Spaniards brought was crossbows. At first it wreaked havoc, but the indigenous people learned to protect themselves from their powerful shells with paveses. Although more powerful, the drawback of the crossbow was its slowness compared to the indigenous arrows. For optimal operation, several people were needed. In addition, targeting indigenous people in constant movement was not easy. Firearms had already appeared in Europe in the 14th century, they were developed in the 15th century and in the 16th century they began to become widespread, which led to a change in the way of warfare as a whole.

Another weapon used by the Spaniards was the arquebus, a short-range firearm, about 50 meters, but very powerful compared to indigenous shells. This weapon ended up replacing the crossbow, since it was faster, more powerful and required less skill.

The arquebuses were not as effective as they were feared in the new continent, due to their weight and complicated maneuvers, despite being an advance in maneuverability compared to the crossbow. Its use meant an excessive amount of time to respond and defend oneself in difficult territory. The arquebuses were muzzle-loading weapons, that is, that the projectile and propellant needed for firing were loaded through the muzzle of the cannon.

The musket was also used. Although it was not used in the first years of the conquest, it was an improvement over the arquebus. Its caliber was larger, as was its weight, so it needed a fork to support it and aim.

Cannon artillery was used on several occasions. Usually, the chronicles call them shots, without specifying sizes or the category. Despite its presence, its use was not so frequent. The reason was none other than the difficulty of transport due to the thick vegetation and the lakes and rivers. This increased the risk of ambush.

The iron and steel armors with which the Spaniards arrived were the same ones they used in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. It was a weapon typical of the time of the Catholic Monarchs that they had already used in the Italian wars and the Granada War. However, the humid sun and heat were not very friendly within these species of iron furnaces. The iron helmets burned their heads, and the iron sheets on the shoulders of the armor caused painful wounds and burns.

Because of this, they soon learned to change these defensive furnaces, for the light and effective dresses of the Aztecs.

The Spaniards also used animals as weapons. During the conquest, the use of dogs and horses stood out. It is said that these beasts caused real terror in the indigenous people. The Native Americans that Cortes encountered had never seen horses, and they came to think, that the rider and the horse were part of the same being.

Trained dogs, mainly Alans, Mastiffs and Doges, were also highly feared by indigenous people and very effective in tasks such as tracking and detecting the enemy's presence or guarding and protecting camps.

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