“Brothers, let us follow the cross; having faith, by this sign we will conquer"
(Hernando Cortez)
The conquistadors, that is, the "conquerors", were a mass of small landed nobility, for the most part ruined and hired into the army in order to somehow exist. It was possible to fight in Europe, but it was even more interesting ("according to rumors") to fight in the New World. So they went there as soon as possible. Like the warriors of other European countries of the Renaissance, the Spaniards wore clothes idealizing the shape of the human body, but very soon, due to the strengthening of Catholicism caused by the victory of the Reconquista, their appearance became stern and conservative, and dark colors began to predominate in clothing. If the Swiss mercenaries sported in trousers and camisoles of different colors with cuts and poufs, wore hats and berets decorated with feathers, then the Spaniards, on the contrary, put on all black, and even having cuts on their clothes (showing underwear) was considered a sin at all.
Sacrifice to the gods. It was against this that the Spaniards rebelled most of all, and this was what they feared most of all.
Clothes were made from wool and linen. Silk fabrics were expensive, as well as fur, and were simply inaccessible to ordinary soldiers. The usual clothes were a shirt made of white linen, tucked into leggings with a codpiece sewn on in front, and so that they did not fall off, they were tied with laces to the upper parts of the garment. These included a camisole and a doublet, but there was practically no difference between these types of clothing. The sleeves were long and either laced to the armholes or sewn on. The horsemen's legs were covered with high boots, while the infantrymen had to be content with leather shoes. Around the 1530s, leggings began to be subdivided into upper ones - then they turned into pants and lower ones - turned into socks. At this time, the caftan and doublet were fastened from top to bottom with buttons or hooks, and since their trousers no longer covered their floors, they began to experiment with their style. They wore flat pill caps on their heads, dashingly sliding them over the ear. Both soldiers and sailors wore hats with rolled-up edges, convenient as comforters. The cloak with many folds on the back at this time became short, knee-length.
Interestingly, being among the Indians, the Spaniards often received clothes from them as a gift. So the Spaniard could wear an Indian tilmatli instead of his own cloak and a feathered jacket of a chicolli … the clothes of local priests, which was given to them as a sign of respect for their "magical" power.
As for the armor, then (although this is surprising) only some of the memories of the participants in the colonization of the New World wrote in them about what kind of armor they had. And here a question arises, to which there is no answer: either the armor was so ordinary that it was not worth writing about it, or … they were used by the Spaniards very little. Numerous drawings made by Indians, in particular in the Tlaxcalan manuscript, show us the Spaniards with swords and shields, but no armor. However, the Spanish horsemen are described by a contemporary as people "well protected by armor", and the Indians that they were all "iron people", that is, "chained in iron." What conclusions can be drawn from these messages? Firstly, that ordinary soldiers did not wear armor, and secondly, that they carried armor with them on packs and handed them out before the battle. In addition, it is known that many of the infantry in the army of Cortez wore cotton Indian shells, which quite satisfactorily protected them from arrows and stones. It is known that the Spaniards did not differ in cleanliness, that they were overcome by insects, but how to scratch themselves in a steel cuirass, which not only heats up terribly in the sun, so that it rusts and needs to be constantly cleaned.
It is known that by 1500 the Spaniards got acquainted with the Cabasset helmet, and after 30-40 years they had the most popular helmet of the 16th century. morion. But the conquistadors themselves did not wear morions. They were credited with them, looking at other Spanish soldiers who fought in Europe. It is also unknown whether the riders of Cortez used full armor, or whether they had three-quarter armor, without leg protection. At that time, the most popular helmet of a knight rider was the armé helmet. But in the heat it was most likely simply unbearable to use it. Another type of helmet - bourguignot, had a visor, cheek pads and a back piece. Chain mail remained a popular means of protection, which is confirmed by images of the same German mercenaries. However, it was very expensive and impractical to carry chain mail and all other metal armor across the ocean. Firearms, gunpowder and arrows for crossbows were much more needed.
Morion helmet. Tobacco Presidio National Historical Park, Arizona.
Finally - and the drawings confirm this, the Spaniards widely used shields. Both metal, capable of reflecting any stone or arrow, and wooden, reinforced with metal. They also used a Moorish shield made of leather - adarga, which had the shape of a heart and was glued from several layers of leather. So it was both lightweight and durable, and it could be made even in America.
So, in general, the appearance of the Spanish conquistadors was not at all as magnificent as they are sometimes depicted in miniatures made of "white metal", but quite the opposite: they were ragamuffins overgrown with beards, often in clothes of the most outlandish look, shod in Indian sandals, but with swords and shields in hand.
Rapier. Toledo 1580 1570 Length 123.8 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The sword remained the main type of edged weapon and has not changed much since the Middle Ages. Length - 90 cm, double-edged blade, cross-hair handle and often sculpted head in the tradition of new fashion. Rapiers appeared that were longer than the sword, with which it was more convenient to stab, with a developed guard. In Europe, all this mattered, but in New Spain, these delights did not matter much, there the old sword was good too! In addition, the infantrymen had halberds, and the horsemen had long spears. Traditionally, the long spears of the infantry were used to protect arquebusiers and musketeers reloading their weapons.
For long-range combat, the Spaniards used crossbows that fired arrows about a foot long, which had great penetrating power. The old models, in which the bowstring was pulled with the help of hooks on the belt or with a pulley block, are a thing of the past. For its tension, a "Nuremberg crank" or "spinner" with a toothed rack and gears was now used. The lever of the "goat's leg" type was also used - the device is quite simple. The crossbow itself was still very simple. Stock, bow (often, as before, wooden!), Trigger. The weapons could be easily repaired, which was of great importance to Cortez's soldiers.
Nuremberg Gate. 1727 Weight 2, 942 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Arquebusses and muskets at the time of Cortez's campaign were quite modern weapons with a matchlock. The length of the musket was about 4 feet, and the caliber could reach 20 mm. Comparing the crossbow and muskets with arquebus (the latter were lighter than muskets), one must bear in mind that the former were more reliable in the tropics. Firearms required gunpowder, which could not be made in field conditions and which was delivered from overseas. But firearms had a tremendous psychological impact on the Indians. Fire, smoke, bullets that were invisible in flight and which it was impossible to dodge, but which, nevertheless, killed, had a demoralizing effect on them.
It is known that for his expedition in 1495, Columbus ordered 200 breast cuirasses, 100 arquebus and 100 crossbows, that is, the latter were used equally and, apparently, complemented each other.
Artillery guns were breech-loading, caliber 2 and 3 inches, and initially these were ship guns, adapted to operate on land. Their range reached 2000 m and even at this distance their nuclei possessed a certain lethal force, and at a closer distance, one nucleus could kill five or more people. Buckshot was also used, even more deadly at close range. Since the Indians rushed at the Spaniards in dense masses, their losses from artillery fire were simply enormous.
As can be clearly seen in these two illustrations from "Lienzo de Tlaxcala" ("Canvas from Tlaxcala") approx. 1540 the conquistadors fight alongside their Indian allies, in particular the warriors from the city of Tlaxcala, who hated the Aztecs. And some of them have European swords in their hands, although the equipment is Indian. In the top illustration, the rider is wearing protective gear. At the bottom - no. American Museum of Natural History.
The tactics of using weapons in battle were approximately as follows. Artillery fired at first. Then the arquebusiers fired a volley at the Indians, and while they were reloading their weapons, the crossbowmen struck them with arrows. Finally, soldiers with round metal shields and swords killed individual who broke through, after which the finally demoralized soldiers were pursued and finished off by the cavalry. It is known that during the siege and assault on Mexico City, heavier cannons were also used, and their names are known. Only their caliber is unknown, since the authors of the memoirs did not write anything about this, and no one knows why.
It should be noted that the conquest of the Aztec Empire is often portrayed as a legendary event and the explanations for it are the same - legendary, that is, several hundred valiant Spaniards with several cannons, horses and muskets overthrew the mighty state because … (although this is all true), the main reason was that the Aztecs were hated by the tribes they conquered. On this occasion, back in 1791, the Mexican scientist and journalist Joseph Antonio Alsate Ramirez, wrote: “Let us not be told that several hundred Spaniards conquered the new Spain. Let's say that the powerful armies of Indians united and inspired by the enterprising Spaniards fought with them against the Aztecs hand in hand, and then … it will be right in relation to the history of this conquest."
