BY HEATHER ROCCA

Indian Conquistadors

17th painting of the kislak conquest of Mexico series, created around the 1680’s, shows an epic battle between Spanish troops & Mexica defenders

In the 20th century, religious explanations faded in popularity in favor of more secular ones, while emphasis an “great men” was largely replaced by one on structures & patterns

“Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest” presented “myths” that are deeply rooted to persist in some form or another to this day

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The full extent & nature of native support & influence during the decades of Spanish military activity in Mesoamerica, beginning in 1519 & stretching through the 16th century

Even before the Spanish-Mexica war begun, when the invaders were still in the Cempoala region, Cortes & his company were outnumbered five to one by an allied native force of two thousand soldiers.

Calculations of numbers are also complicated by the fact that armies are often described in terms of captins, these captins were in charge of units that the Spaniards termed cuadrillas, Squadrons that consisted of people from the community of origin of each particular captin.

200-400 Soldiers in each cuadrilla

All Spaniards participating in the process of exploration, discovery, conquest, & colonization in the Americas were required to submit reports to royal officials that were detailed about what they have found & done

During the 2nd half of the 16th century, various groups sent letters claiming rights & privileges based on their participation in the conquest

A 1547 letter from Tlaxcala refers to a thousand men going on an Guatemalan Campaign, but in an 1567 letter, 20,000 Tlaxcalteca is given for all the soldiers provided by Tlaxcala for Spanish conquests throughout Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica conquistadors spoke of the sufferings & heartbreaks of war as much as their Spanish counterparts did

As Spaniards discovered Peru a decade after they found Mesoamerica, warriors ended up fighting in the Andes

The Maya brought by Alvarado to the Andes were surely not the only Mesoamericans to die on Spanish ships in the Pacific Ocean

Black & free colored soldiers were a ubiquitous presence on Spanish campaigns of conquest and networks of colonial defense

European Side The Sad Night (below)

On the European side of the Atlantic, the Spanish a& other continental soldiers were increasingly part of complex, large, & organized armies dependent on a vast supply & support network

Large numbers of porters were important for the success of any military undertaking in Mesoamerica, without them, the conquistadors had to carry everything themselves