6:55 Canvas Stud... 2 of 9 The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Anthropological Quarterly. STOR http://www.jstor.org TACTICAL FACTORS IN THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTECS DOUGLAS A. DANIEL Western Washington University A perspective largely unexamined in past works on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico has been the details of the tactical systems of the respective sides, and how these systems worked on the battlefield to produce the Spanish victory. This article examines the Con- quest in terms of tactics, applying a military-historical perspective to ethnohistorical texts and data gleaned from modern works. It is shown that Spanish infantry tactics and horse cavalry were critical factors in the Spanish victory. [Aztecs, ethnohistory, Mexico, Spanish Conquest, war] Introduction Most interpretations of the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs attribute the Spanish victory to psycho- social factors the Aztecs had a different concep- tion of warfare, or they were paralyzed by the Quetzalcoatl myth-or to technological factors, such as the supposed superiority of firearms and steel swords, or to combinations of the two. As Soustelle put it, The Spaniards and the Mexicans were not really fighting the same kind of war. On the material plane, they fought with different weapons: on the social and moral, they had totally different concepts of war (1970: 215). Davies (1973: 251) cites, among other factors, the Aztec conception of war as "half a process gov- erned by ritual and magic" as a reason for the Az- tec's defeat. Another purported reason for Spanish battle superiority has been the supposed Aztec "ob- session" with taking live prisoners for later sacrifice (Davies 1973: 251; Soustelle 1970: 210), which handicapped the Aztec soldier before the Spanish conquistador, who had no such compunction. An issue unexamined in detail in most Con- quest literature is that of the tactical concepts and practices of both the Aztecs and the Spanish. This article examines the Spanish Conquest in terms of ite tactical bookaround assluice a the Spanish victory in the Conquest can be found in the tactics of the two sides. In this interpretation the Spanish were able to win on the battlefield largely because of two facts: 1) the way in which the Spanish used their infantry formations (close order formation with tightly drilled bodies of men) gave them a decisive advantage over Aztec infantry formations, and 2) Spanish cavalry was capable of disrupting and routing large bodies of Aztec troops, at least on the open battlefield. The analysis em- phasizes the essential value of discipline and inte- gration of effort in combat among the Spanish forces. Synopsis of the Conquest Events The expedition of Cortes arrived at San Juan de Ulua, near present-day Veracruz, in April 1519, after skirting the coast of Yucatan. The expedition consisted of 508 soldiers, 100 sailors, and sixteen horses (Diaz 1956: 42). At San Juan de Ulua the Spanish made contact with both representatives of Moctezuma and the local Totonac people. Cortes induced the Totonacs to ally themselves to him, thus establishing a secure base on the coast. Leav- ing a portion of his force as a colony, Cortes left for Mexico on August 16, 1519. On August 20th the Spanish crossed the fron- -fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.net C B 2

6:55 Canvas Stud... 2 of 9 The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Anthropological Quarterly. STOR http://www.jstor.org TACTICAL FACTORS IN THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTECS DOUGLAS A. DANIEL Western Washington University A perspective largely unexamined in past works on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico has been the details of the tactical systems of the respective sides, and how these systems worked on the battlefield to produce the Spanish victory. This article examines the Con- quest in terms of tactics, applying a military-historical perspective to ethnohistorical texts and data gleaned from modern works. It is shown that Spanish infantry tactics and horse cavalry were critical factors in the Spanish victory. [Aztecs, ethnohistory, Mexico, Spanish Conquest, war] Introduction Most interpretations of the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs attribute the Spanish victory to psycho- social factors the Aztecs had a different concep- tion of warfare, or they were paralyzed by the Quetzalcoatl myth-or to technological factors, such as the supposed superiority of firearms and steel swords, or to combinations of the two. As Soustelle put it, The Spaniards and the Mexicans were not really fighting the same kind of war. On the material plane, they fought with different weapons: on the social and moral, they had totally different concepts of war (1970: 215). Davies (1973: 251) cites, among other factors, the Aztec conception of war as "half a process gov- erned by ritual and magic" as a reason for the Az- tec's defeat. Another purported reason for Spanish battle superiority has been the supposed Aztec "ob- session" with taking live prisoners for later sacrifice (Davies 1973: 251; Soustelle 1970: 210), which handicapped the Aztec soldier before the Spanish conquistador, who had no such compunction. An issue unexamined in detail in most Con- quest literature is that of the tactical concepts and practices of both the Aztecs and the Spanish. This article examines the Spanish Conquest in terms of ite tactical bookaround assluice a the Spanish victory in the Conquest can be found in the tactics of the two sides. In this interpretation the Spanish were able to win on the battlefield largely because of two facts: 1) the way in which the Spanish used their infantry formations (close order formation with tightly drilled bodies of men) gave them a decisive advantage over Aztec infantry formations, and 2) Spanish cavalry was capable of disrupting and routing large bodies of Aztec troops, at least on the open battlefield. The analysis em- phasizes the essential value of discipline and inte- gration of effort in combat among the Spanish forces. Synopsis of the Conquest Events The expedition of Cortes arrived at San Juan de Ulua, near present-day Veracruz, in April 1519, after skirting the coast of Yucatan. The expedition consisted of 508 soldiers, 100 sailors, and sixteen horses (Diaz 1956: 42). At San Juan de Ulua the Spanish made contact with both representatives of Moctezuma and the local Totonac people. Cortes induced the Totonacs to ally themselves to him, thus establishing a secure base on the coast. Leav- ing a portion of his force as a colony, Cortes left for Mexico on August 16, 1519. On August 20th the Spanish crossed the fron- -fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.net C B 2