Conquistadors against the Aztecs. Part of 7. Brigantines of Cortez
Christopher Columbus - one,
And the other is Fernando Cortes.
He, like Columbus, is a titan
In the pantheon of the new era.
Such is the fate of the heroes,
Such is her cunning
Combines our name
With a low, named the villain.
Heinrich Heine. "Vitsliputsli"
And the other is Fernando Cortes.
He, like Columbus, is a titan
In the pantheon of the new era.
Such is the fate of the heroes,
Such is her cunning
Combines our name
With a low, named the villain.
Heinrich Heine. "Vitsliputsli"
So, the last time we left Cortes for a pleasant occupation - he received gifts from the allies of the Tlashkalants and was glad that not only he remained alive, but also got the opportunity to start everything from the beginning. And besides, he now knew well what it was worth working for. The treasures lost in the "Night of Sorrow" attracted their golden glitter. All the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy were known - it was necessary to gain strength and strike back against the Aztec empire. Well, empire versus empire, this has already happened in stories humanity and more than once.
Conquest of Tenochtitlan. Unknown artist.
So the end of 1520 for the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes was full of trouble - they were preparing a new attack on the capital of the Aztecs (Meshikov) - Tenochtitlan, and dreamed only one thing - how they would plunder this richest city of the New World. When they first appeared on its streets in November 1519, 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 "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 "magic black powder", and without it they are powerless. And they barely finished off the unwelcome "guests" in July 1520, when the Spaniards managed to get out of the city with great difficulty. So both sides took into account what they learned about each other. Nevertheless, they prepared for the fight in different ways.
So, the Spaniards, preparing for a new expedition against the Aztecs, understood well that now their task was complicated tenfold. After all, the city of Tenochtitlan lay on the islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco, and this ruled out all possibilities to defeat the Aztecs with the forces of cavalry in the general battle on the ground. There was nothing to think about getting to the capital by water. The fact is that the shores of the lake and its shoals are overgrown with reeds, and here every enemy was expected to meet with dozens, if not hundreds of Indian canoes. The Spaniards had to take into account the fact that the soldiers - if they had to move into the city along the dams, would again have to take each house by storm, and it would not be possible to go unnoticed to Tenochtitlan at night. The Indians understood well that the only roads to the city were ... only three dams. Therefore, where they intersected with canals, pegs were driven into the bottom of the lake, and barricades were built on the dams, which prevented the movement of Spanish riders.
One of the sources of information about the culture of the Indians of the era of the Spanish conquest is the “Malayabekki Code” - a book from the group of Aztec codes, created in Mexico in the 16th century, in the initial period of the Conquest. It was named in honor of Antonio Mallabeki (Maljabekki), an Italian manuscript collector of the 17th century, currently in the National Central Library in Florence. Interestingly, the illustrations in the book were certainly drawn by an Indian, but who wrote it. Judging by the text, they were different people, but they carefully diluted the atmosphere of hopeless horror. Here, for example, the image of the scene of human sacrifice.
The Indians took care of the replenishment of their ranks. There are different calculations of how many warriors the Aztecs managed to gather to protect their capital. However, it is believed that about 100 – 200 thousands of people lived in Tenochtitlan, and on the shores around the lake - something less than 2 million. And of course, they all did not burn with love for the Spaniards, but represented an army of potential adversaries. Cortes, on the other hand, had only modest strengths. In his letter to Emperor Charles V, he reported that he had 86 riders, 118 crossbowmen and arquebus gunners, and about 700 foot soldiers armed with cold 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 smallpox was mowing the Indians. This disease was not known in the Americas. Indians had no immunity against her, and they died from her by the thousands. But waiting until they all died out was a bad idea and Cortez understood that. In addition, some Indians survived ...
Indian bath. Malayabekki Codex. Judging by the text, the Indians were intoxicated with wine in the baths and committed all kinds of indecencies, for women washed with men.
Therefore, Cortez tried to ensure his superiority over the Indians also through armament. Actually, this was his main trump card, since, as we can see, the number of his detachment was negligible compared to the thousands of Aztec armies. And although it is impossible to accurately describe the armament of his squad today, we can still imagine that its infantrymen, for example, could use various types of cold arms known to the Spaniards, that is, swords, swords and daggers. Some of them could have metal armor, although most Spaniards broke up with them and changed into Indian quilted shells made of salt-soaked cotton.
It depicts a “small sacrifice” by piercing the tongue and ears. Too exaggeration? But no, there is a bas-relief, where in this way the chief's wife sacrifices and it is made before the Spanish conquest. So not everything in this code is an exaggeration ...
In addition, Cortez managed to get 50 of thousands of arrows with copper tips, as well as 3 heavy iron cannons and 15 small bronze falconet cannons. The stock of gunpowder consisted of 500 kg, with a sufficient amount of lead bullets and stone and lead cores. But the most important thing that Cortez thought, and what he says about his outstanding military talent, is ... brigantines! Loggers who cut down trees were sent to the forests of Mexico. Then they made parts for small ships (Cortes and Diaz call them brigantines), which then Indians' porters brought to the shores of Lake Texcoco. From the coast of the Gulf of Mexico for these ships was delivered rigging - ropes and sails. And all this was dragged into place by the Indians (!), Because the Cortes horses were on shore for battle. Such ships needed to be built 13, and you just imagine the amount of work done. First cut, then cut, cut out from the corresponding on the profile of the branches of the frames, make the keel, fit to the place of the planking board and deck. Mark all these details, send for hundreds of kilometers, and then, there, on the spot again, collect! Of course, one should not think that these vessels were so great. No, but you can’t call them small either, because they were paying off 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, played the role of rowers. Falconets were installed on the sides of the brigantine. And since they were breech-loading and had spare charging cameras for each 3-6 gun, their rate of fire was rather high.
Eating sacrificial meat. This is reported by many sources, so there is no reason not to believe it. The caption says that the taste of human flesh is like pork and that is why pork is so delicious for Indians!
What could be their size? In this case, it is not so difficult to do, because it is obvious that the height of their side could not be lower than the person who stood up at the bottom of the cake in full growth, and even with his hand raised to grab overboard. In this case, he has a chance to cross the board and fight on the deck! But if the board is high, taller than a man with a raised hand, and even a smooth one, then it is very difficult to get on it. But having crashed the cake, such a vessel would 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 Aztec weapons, it has not changed much. The honor of the fighters did not bring the killing of the enemy, but the capture of him in captivity, followed by sacrifice. Therefore, all the fighting techniques and weapons of the Aztecs were calculated precisely on the capture of an enemy warrior. However, it is known that the Aztec swords captured from the conquistadors were attached to long and durable shafts so that Spanish riders could be stopped with such “peaks”. Well, it is clear that rowing Indian canoes could not compete in speed and maneuverability with brigantine, although there were a lot of them.
Archaeological finds in the Museum of Quauatemok, Itskateopane, Guerrero, Mexico.
The defense of the city was headed by a young prince Quauhtemoc. He convinced his fellow tribesmen of the need to adopt their methods of combat from the invaders, so now the Aztecs also began to set up guard, start a battle according to a common signal, strike from several directions.
Before starting the storming of the city, Cortes undertook a raid around Lake Texcoco. Somewhere the population fled, somewhere resisted, but it was quickly broken. By April 1521, the city of Tenochtitlan was completely surrounded. The Aztecs stopped receiving military aid and food from the allies. And soon the water shortages began, as the Spaniards destroyed the aqueduct that supplied the city with clean water from the shore of the lake. I had to extract water from wells, but it was brackish and it was not enough.
Bones of Cuauhtemoc in the Museum of Kuauatemok, in Itskateopan, Guerrero, Mexico.
On April 28, the brigantines were finally launched, and Cortes checked 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, to always have him close at hand, to sleep without undressing. The “order in the army” demanded respect for the allies and, under the threat of severe punishment, not to offend them and not to take away their booty. And it is clear why - by this time, the allies of Cortes had up to 74 thousands of warriors of the provinces of Tlashkala, Cholula, and Wayotsingo. Periodically, it increased to 150 thousands of people.
“The brigantine comes to the aid of the Spaniards and their allies advancing along the dam to Tenochtitlan” (“The Story of Tlashkali”)
Cortez decided to storm Tenochtitlan from several directions at once and simultaneously strike from land and from the lake. The first detachment, Pedro de Alvarado, was to first capture the coastal village of Takuba, from which a dam could be moved into the city. He had 150 infantry, 18 crossbowmen, 30 riders and 25 thousands of Tlaxcalan allies. Alvarado himself literally just got married the only daughter of Tlashkala’s ruler, which in the eyes of “his” Indians made him his own man.
Cuathemoque captive. Museum in Zaragoza.
From the opposite side, a detachment of Cristobal de Olide was advancing. His squad included 160 infantry, 18 crossbowmen, 33 rider and 20 thousands of Indian warriors. From the southern shore of the lake in Istapalapa, from where the Spaniards entered Tenochtitlan in 1519, there was a detachment of Pedro de Sandoval, who had 150 infantrymen, 13 crossbowmen, 4 soldier with arquebuses, 24 rider and 30 thousand Allied Indians.
Cortes himself decided that he would command the brigantines, because he thought that in this way he could always help those of his commanders who needed the most help. Directly under his command were 300 man crews brigantine.
A page from the Mapa de Tepechan code of the 16th century, which shows the execution of Kuaumotemok. Quauatemok Museum, Itskateopan, 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 pie rushed to them. The Spaniards greeted them with heavy fire from falconet. To make a shot, take out a wedge, then remove the charging chamber and replace it with a new one, re-insert the wedge, aim and set fire to gunpowder in the pilot hole - it was all a matter of a few seconds, so the shots rang out one after another. And then, through the prayers of the Spaniards, the wind blew again, the sailors filled up the brigantine, and they crashed into a dense mass of Indian canoes. The boats turned over, the Indians, dressed in their combat outfits, found themselves in the water and sank in her hundreds.
The same code is the body of Quauhtemoc, suspended by the legs.
The assault on the Aztec capital continued without interruption for over 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 contained Cuahuatemoc himself, the young ruler of the Aztecs. “He laid his hand on my dagger, asking me to kill him,” Cortes wrote later. But Cortes, 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 hand over all the treasures. Thus, the conquerors got gold valued at about 130 thousand Spanish gold ducats, but this booty was nothing compared to the gold lost on the “Night of Sorrows.” They began to torture Cuauhtémoc to find out where the treasures lost by the Spaniards were hidden, but they were unable to find out where the Indians hid most of this gold.
Cuahutemok torture. Leandro Isagirre, 1892. National Museum of Art, Mexico City.
It would not be an exaggeration to think that if it were not for the brigantines of Cortes, the struggle for the city would have been delayed for a much longer time, but who had escaped from the city of Quautemok could have raised their people in the fight against the Spaniards in other parts of the country. And so ... - everything was for the Spaniards and against the Indians, and they understood it as a sign of the gods and stopped resisting them. Well, the Indian allies of Cortez also got "incalculable riches" and they all at once turned into "wealthy people", because the Spaniards gave them all feather capes, all headdresses and cloaks of feathers from the ketsal bird - treasures about which these naive children of nature could only just dream!
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