Christopher Columbus - one
And the other is Fernando Cortez.
He, like Columbus, is a titanium
In the pantheon of a new era.
This is the fate of the heroes
Such is her deceit
Combines our name
Low, the name of the villain.
Heinrich Heine. "Witzliputsli"
So, last time we left Cortez for a pleasant occupation - he received gifts from the allies of the Tlashkalans and was glad that not only remained alive, but also got the opportunity to start all over again. And besides, he now knew well what it was worth working for. The treasures lost in the "Night of Sorrow" beckoned with their golden glitter. All the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy were known - all that was left was to gain strength and retaliate against the Aztec empire. Well - empire against empire, this has already happened in the history of mankind and more than once.
Conquest of Tenochtitlan. Unknown artist.
So the end of 1520 for the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortez was full of trouble - they were preparing a new attack on the capital of the Aztecs (Meshiks) - Tenochtitlan, and dreamed of only one thing - how they would plunder this richest city of the New World. When in November 1519 they first appeared on its streets, they saw with their own eyes what these "savages" with pierced noses and in feather cloaks were capable of. However, the Indians also learned that the "bearded gods" and "children of Quetzalcoatl" are mortal, that their horses are mortal, and the guns, of course, are terrible, but they need to eat the "magic black powder", and without it they are powerless. And they almost finished with the uninvited "guests" in July 1520, when the Spaniards only with great difficulty managed to get out of the city. So both sides took into account what they learned about each other. But nevertheless, they prepared for the fight in different ways.
So, the Spaniards, preparing for a new expedition against the Aztecs, were well aware that now their task had become dozens of times more complicated. After all, the city of Tenochtitlan lay on the islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco, and this excluded all the possibilities of defeating the Aztecs with cavalry forces in a general battle on the ground. There was no need to think about getting to the capital by water. The fact is that the shores of the lake and its shallows were overgrown with reeds and here any enemy was expected to meet dozens, if not hundreds of Indian canoes. The Spaniards had to take into account the fact that the soldiers, if they had to advance into the city along the dams, would again have to storm every house, and they would not be able to approach Tenochtitlan unnoticed at night. The Indians well understood that the only roads to the city are … only three dams. Therefore, where they crossed the canals, stakes were hammered into the bottom of the lake, and barricades were built on the dams that impeded the movement of the Spanish horsemen.
One of the sources of information about the culture of the Indians of the era of the Spanish conquest is the "Codex Malabekki" - a book from the group of Aztec codes, created in Mexico in the XVI century, in the early period of the Conquest. Named after Antonio Malabeki (Malabekki), an Italian collector of 17th century manuscripts, it is currently housed in the National Central Library in Florence. It is interesting that the illustrations in the book were certainly drawn by an Indian, but who wrote it. Judging by the text, these were different people, but they diligently forged an atmosphere of hopeless horror. For example, here is a depiction of a scene of human sacrifice.
The Indians also took care of replenishing their ranks. There are various estimates of how many warriors the Aztecs managed to gather to defend their capital. However, it is believed that about 100-200 thousand people lived in Tenochtitlan, and something at least 2 million along the shores around the lake. And of course, all of them did not burn with love for the Spaniards, but represented an army of potential opponents. Cortez had only rather modest powers. In his letter to Emperor Charles V, he reported that he had 86 horsemen, 118 crossbowmen and arquebus archers, and about 700 infantrymen armed with melee weapons. True, the Spaniards were supported by numerous detachments of Indian allies. But from the point of view of the Spaniards, they were all pagans and savages, so they could not completely trust them!
Another thing is that the Spaniards were aware that the Indians were being mowed down by smallpox. This disease was not known on the American continent. The Indians had no immunity against her, and they died from her in the thousands. But waiting for them all to die was a bad idea and Cortez knew it. In addition, some Indians still survived …
Indian bath. Malabekki's Code. Judging by the text, the Indians were drunk in the baths with wine and committed all sorts of lewd practices there, for women washed with men.
Therefore, Cortez tried to ensure his superiority over the Indians also at the expense of weapons. Actually, this was his main trump card, since the number of his detachment, as we can see, was negligible compared to the thousands of armies of the Aztecs. And although it is impossible to accurately describe the weapons of his detachment today, we can still imagine that his infantrymen, for example, could use various types of cold weapons known to the Spaniards, that is, swords, swords and daggers. Some of them may have had metal armor, although most of the Spaniards parted with them and changed into Native American quilted carapaces made of salt-soaked cotton.
It depicts a "small sacrifice" by piercing the tongue and ears. Exaggeration too? But no, there is a bas-relief where the chief's wife sacrifices in this way and it was made before the Spanish conquest. So not everything in this code is an exaggeration …
In addition, Cortez managed to get 50 thousand arrows with copper tips, as well as 3 heavy iron cannons and 15 small falconet cannons made of bronze. The supply of gunpowder consisted of 500 kg, with a sufficient number of lead bullets and stone and lead nuclei. But the most important thing that Cortez thought about, and what he says about his remarkable military talent, is … brigantines! Lumberjacks were sent to the forests of Mexico to cut down trees. Then they were used to make parts for small ships (Cortez and Diaz call them brigantines), which were then delivered by Indian porters to the shores of Lake Texcoco. From the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, rigging - ropes and sails - was delivered for these vessels. And all this was dragged into place by the Indians (!), Because Cortez's horses were kept for battle. There were 13 such ships to be built, and just imagine the amount of work done. First, cut down, then saw, cut out frames from the branches corresponding to the profile, make a keel, adjust the sheathing and deck boards in place. Mark all these details, send them hundreds of kilometers away, and then reassemble them on the spot! Of course, one should not think that these ships were so large. No, but you can't call them small either, because they were counted on to fight Indian canoes! The team of each such brigantine consisted of 20-25 people, which is quite a lot: the captain, 6 crossbowmen or arquebusiers and sailors, who, if necessary, performed the role of rowers. Falconets were installed on the sides of the brigantine. And since they were breech-loading and had 3-6 spare charging chambers for each gun, their rate of fire was quite high.
Eating sacrificial meat. This is reported by many sources, so there is no reason not to believe it. The caption to the figure says that the taste of human flesh is similar to pork and that is why pork is so tasty for the Indians!
How big could they be? In this case, this is not so difficult to do, since it is obvious that the height of their sides could not be lower than a person who stood at full height at the bottom of the pies, and even with a raised hand to grab overboard. In this case, he has a chance to get over the side and fight on deck! But if the board is high, higher than a person with a raised hand, and even smooth, then it is very difficult to climb onto it. But having crashed into a pie system, such a ship will easily turn them over and sink them. Judging by the images that have come down to us, each brigantine had one or two masts with Latin sails.
As for the weapons of the Aztecs, it practically did not change. Honor to the fighters was brought not by killing the enemy, but by capturing him with the subsequent sacrifice. Therefore, all the fighting techniques and weapons of the Aztecs were calculated precisely for capturing the enemy warrior. True, it is known that the Aztecs seized the swords from the conquistadors were attached to long and strong shafts so that such "lances" could stop the Spanish horsemen. Well, it is clear that rowing Indian canoes could not compete in speed and maneuverability with brigantines, although there were a lot of them.
Archaeological finds at the Cuahuatemoca Museum, Itzcateopane, Guerrero, Mexico.
The defense of the city was led by the young prince Kuautemok. He convinced his fellow tribesmen of the need to adopt their methods of fighting from the invaders, so now the Aztecs began to set up guards, start a battle on a common signal, and strike from several directions.
Before starting the assault on the city, Cortez undertook a raid around Lake Texcoco. Somewhere the population fled, somewhere they resisted, but they were quickly broken. By April 1521, Tenochtitlan was completely surrounded. The Aztecs stopped receiving military aid and food from the allies. And shortly thereafter, water interruptions began, as the Spaniards destroyed the aqueduct that supplied the city with clean water from the shore of the lake. I had to get water from wells, but it was brackish and there was not enough of it.
Cuautemoc's bones at the Cuahuatemoc Museum, Itzcateopan, Guerrero, Mexico.
On April 28, the brigantines were finally launched, and Cortez held a review of his troops and addressed them with an incendiary speech. It was also required to observe discipline, not to play dice and cards on horses and weapons, always have them at hand, sleep without undressing. The "order for the army" contained the requirement to respect the allies and not to offend them under the threat of heavy punishment and not to take away their spoils. And it is understandable why - by this time, up to 74 thousand warriors of the provinces of Tlaxcala, Cholula and Wayozingo were among the allies of Cortes. Periodically, it increased to 150 thousand people.
"Brigantine comes to the aid of the Spaniards and their allies, advancing along the dam to Tenochtitlan" ("History from Tlaxcala")
Cortez decided to storm Tenochtitlan from several directions at once and simultaneously strike from land and from the lake. The first detachment of Pedro de Alvarado was to first capture the coastal village of Takuba, from which it was possible to move along the dam into the city. It had 150 infantrymen, 18 crossbowmen, 30 horsemen and 25,000 Tlashkalan allies. Alvarado himself literally just got the only daughter of the ruler of Tlaxcala as his wife, which in the eyes of "his" Indians made him their own man.
Kuautemok is a prisoner. Museum in Zaragoza.
Cristobal de Olide's detachment was advancing from the opposite side. In his detachment there were 160 infantrymen, 18 crossbowmen, 33 horsemen and 20 thousand Indian warriors. From the southern shore of the lake in Istapalap, from where the Spaniards entered Tenochtitlan in 1519, a detachment of Pedro de Sandoval operated, which had 150 infantry, 13 crossbowmen, 4 soldiers with arquebusses, 24 horsemen and 30 thousand Indian allies.
Cortez himself decided that he would command the brigantines, because he believed that in this way he would always be able to help the one of his commanders who needed help more than others. Directly under his command were 300 brigantine crews.
A page from the Mapa de Tepecan codex of the 16th century showing the execution of Cuautemoc. Cuahuatemoca Museum, Itzcateopan, Guerrero, Mexico.
On the very first day of the attack, when the brigantines approached the city, the wind suddenly died down, the brigantines stopped and hundreds of Indian pies immediately rushed towards them. The Spaniards met them with heavy fire from falconets. To fire a shot, remove the wedge, then remove the charging chamber and replace it with a new one, insert the wedge again, aim and set fire to the powder in the ignition hole - all this was a matter of a few seconds, so that the shots rang out one after the other. And then, at the prayer of the Spaniards, the wind blew again, the brigantine filled the sails, and they crashed into the dense mass of Indian canoes. Boats overturned, Indians, dressed in their military attire, found themselves in the water and drowned in it by the hundreds.
The same code - the corpse of Kuautemok, suspended by the legs.
The assault on the capital of the Aztecs continued without interruption for more than 70 days and ended on August 13, 1521. On this last day, it was the brigantines who managed to intercept a small flotilla of canoes, one of which was Cuauatemok himself, the young ruler of the Aztecs. “He put his hand on my dagger, asking me to kill him,” Cortez later wrote. But Cortez, of course, did not kill him, since he was much more valuable as a hostage. Having occupied the capital, the Spaniards allowed all the unarmed, exhausted Aztecs to leave their ruined city, but they had to surrender all the treasures. Thus, the conquerors got gold, valued at about 130 thousand Spanish gold ducats, but this production could not be compared with the gold lost in the "Night of Sorrow". They began to torture Cuautemoc in order to find out where the treasures lost by the Spaniards were hidden, but they could not find out where the Indians hid most of this gold.
Torture of Kuautemok. Leandro Isaguirre, 1892. National Museum of Art, Mexico City.
It will not be an exaggeration to believe that if it were not for the brigantines of Cortez, the struggle for the city would have dragged on for a much longer time, but Cuautemoc, who escaped from the city, could have raised his people in other parts of the country to fight the Spaniards. And so … - everything was for the Spaniards and against the Indians, and they understood this as a sign of the gods and ceased to resist them. Well, the Indian allies of Cortez also got "untold riches" and they all at once turned into "wealthy people", because the Spaniards gave them all the feather capes, all the headdresses and cloaks made of quetzal feathers - treasures that these naive children of nature could only only dream!
