|
|
|
|
|
|
|
status. But the Aztecs were quick students, soon observing that the noise and smoke were of no consequence and that the shot went in a straight line. Thus, when the cannons fired, the warriors would dodge to the sides, as they also did against muskets.
11 But firearms were not the decisive factor. In fact, in the final days of the Conquest the Spaniards' gunpowder was so low that they tried to build a catapult. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another factor favoring the Spaniards was their use of cavalry and mounted lancers. Before the Conquest, as noted earlier, the Aztecs used an open formation in their battle stance, since the denser closed formation is basically a tactic used to repel massed mounted attacks and was thus unknown to them. But open formations were ineffectual against cavalry charges. Nevertheless, the Aztecs quickly adopted strategies aimed at minimizing the effectiveness of the horse, but a major shift in tactics would have required considerable time, since it would involve retraining professional warriors. Closed formations were not adopted, apparently because while they might have cured the problem of a massed cavalry attack, they would also have created a better target for Spanish gunners. Consequently, organizational changes played only a minor role in the Aztecs' adaptation to the Spanish challenge; ineffective tactics were abandoned, but new ones were not adopted. Instead, the responses were largely technological. Devices and practices were adopted that aimed directly at these novel threats. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Aztecs initially met the Spaniards in set-piece battles in open areas amid fields of maize and maguey.12 While the Indians often held their own and more, open fields allowed the Spaniards to take the fullest possible advantage of their horses and guns. Hence the Indians increasingly adopted countertactics aimed at minimizing the advantages of horses.13 For instance, when the Aztecs fell back in battle, they did so to areas, such as towns and ravines, where the Spanish cavalry could not be used to advantage.14 Once repositioned, the Aztec warriors turned and reformed firm lines to continue the battle.15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most of the advantages were not with the offensive, however, and the Aztecs were quick to use defensive measures. Passive traps were frequently built. Pits containing sharpened stakes were constructed in the streets of cities and covered with wood and earth so that they would not be readily detected.16 Hidden pits were dug in the water-filled canals to trap the Spaniards, and sharpened stakes were driven |
|
|
|
|
|