Because of what the indigenous people of America were afraid of the four-legged soldiers of the conquistadors to panic

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The conquest of the New World required from the Spaniards not only brute force, but also military cunning. As you know, all means are good for victory and the conquistadors followed this expression in everything. And their most terrible weapon against the Indians was the dogs. The indigenous people of America experienced a primal fear of huge, armored four-legged soldiers. This is especially true for the beginning of the confrontation. If the Indians knew that the Spaniards went into battle with the dogs, then they instantly considered themselves losers and did not even try to resist. And the conquistadors proved to be the winners over and over again.

Terrible weapon: from Ashurbanipal to Pizarro

A dog is a friend of man, it has been the custom since time immemorial. But if at the beginning, let's say, "cooperation" dogs were used for hunting and protection, then over time they have another "profession". The dogs became soldiers.

According to the surviving evidence, it is known that four-legged fighters were used in the armies of almost all ancient civilizations. Here and Egypt, and Babylon and, of course, Assyria. Dogs, along with people, served in garrisons and guards. They were also used during the suppression of slave uprisings, which were not uncommon in those days. By the way, even then the animals were dressed in protective armor to protect them from enemy weapons.

The finest hour of the four-legged fighters fell on the heyday of the Assyrian Empire. A huge state built on blood and fear used all available means to defeat opponents. And so dogs became a full-fledged fighting unit in the Assyrian army. Especially numerous detachments were at Ashurbanipal. Later, the effectiveness of the dogs of war was appreciated by the rulers of Persia, and the Romans took over the baton from them. Soldier dogs walked along with people for many centuries. Together they went to conquer America.

Here's what is interesting: at first, the conquistadors did not attach much importance to four-legged assistants. They were taken with them as guards and trackers, not as warriors. But the reaction of the Indians predetermined the use of dogs. Bishop Bartolome Las Casas, in his "A Brief Story about the Destruction of Western India," wrote that the Indians were in panic at the sight of dogs and could not resist them. Animals, sensing fear, reacted accordingly. The conquistadors quickly realized that dogs were an important element for victory, so no major battle could do without them.

Another interesting thing: the first European to use four-legged soldiers against the Indians was Christopher Columbus. His mastiff dogs helped to cope with the natives of Haiti in 1493, and then with the inhabitants of Jamaica. And soon there were so many animals on the islands that they began to bring serious problems to the Spaniards themselves. The fact is that some dogs ran away, strayed into large wild flocks and were no longer afraid of anyone. They attacked both livestock and people. The Europeans had no choice but to start shooting the dogs.

Gonzalo Pizarro (brother of the Inca conqueror Francisco Pizarro) brought with him about a thousand huge trained dogs, which played a large role in his Peruvian campaign in 1591. The Spaniards managed to plunder several Aboriginal villages thanks to their four-legged comrades-in-arms. Pizarro walked and cherished his dogs, giving them the best food. True, that expedition was ultimately unsuccessful. The conquistadors were never able to find rich Indian cities, and in the villages there was nothing special to profit from. Moreover, on the way back the Spaniards got lost and were soon left without provisions. Therefore, Pizarro had to sacrifice his four-legged soldiers to save the two-legged soldiers.

Versatile soldiers: from cute puppy to creepy monster

Now it is no longer possible to establish what breed the dogs used by the conquistadors against the Indians belonged to. Historians are inclined to believe that the Europeans brought a cross between mastiffs and Great Danes to the New World. This can explain the impressive size and strength of the animals.

Some of the dogs were particularly large in size and could reach a meter at the withers, and they weighed more than seventy kilograms. Most often, the animals were short-haired with hanging ears. As for character, these dogs were vicious and aggressive. So it is not surprising that an animal could deal with a person in no time.

It is known that the Spaniards from puppyhood instilled in their pets a love of blood and human flesh. Instead of the usual food, animals received flesh so that people became an object of hunting for grown dogs. In addition, the Indians were very different from the Europeans in smell, so four-legged soldiers could not make a mistake and attack their own in battle. The fate of the captive aborigines was also unenviable. On them, animals honed the subtleties of killing.

Among the thousands of four-legged soldiers were their legendary warriors. In the memoirs of Juan Ponce de Leon, who became the first European in Florida, it is detailed about his faithful fighter named Besserico, which translates as "calf." The dog could accurately find the Indian he needed in the crowd of his fellow tribesmen and deal with him in a matter of seconds. It is known that Besseriko sent more than three hundred aborigines to the next world. De Leon was so proud of his dog that he even gave him the noble prefix "don".

The Indians also knew about Besseriko. They feared and hated him, believing that in front of them was not a dog, but an evil spirit. Many times they tried to kill the dog, but the "calf" remained alive. Eyewitnesses recalled that despite the protective armor, Besseriko's entire body was covered with scars from knives, spears and steles.

But even more famous was a dog named Leonico (translated from Spanish as "lion cub"), which belonged to the conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Historian Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo recalled that this dog was a direct descendant of Besserico and cost de Balboa a huge amount at that time in a couple of thousand pesos.

Leonçico, unlike his fellows, could not only kill an Indian, but also drag him alive to his master. If the aborigine did not resist, then the dog led him, taking his hands or clothes gently with his teeth. And if he tried to escape, Lensico dragged him by force. For his work, the dog received a share of the prey, exactly the same as the ordinary soldiers. Naturally, de Balboa took her. The dog is known to have died around 1515-1516. Moreover, death overtook Leonico not in battle, the Indians found another way to get rid of the enemy - they poisoned him.

… Dogs were not only the sworn enemies of the Indians. A few years after, let's say, they met, they became real friends for the natives. Padre Cobo recalled that the Indians were very kind to their dogs. They became faithful helpers for the aborigines both in the hunt and in everyday life.