Aztecs .
In addition, the horse played a highly important role in the Spanish tactics that were innovative and highly practical.
Cavalry would be lured towards these pits, which were covered with earth and vegetation, and if the horse fell for the trap then both animal and rider would often be killed. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2009. Defeated enemies were taken as captives to Cuzco and paraded before the people, much like in a Roman Triumph, with the Inca king ceremoniously stamping on the head of his defeated counterpart. During a Humanities Core lecture at University of California, Irvine, Professor Rachel O’Toole greatly emphasized how the “Incas were the ass-kickers of the Andes”. The Sapa Inca (Inca ruler), therefore, could deploy his armies swiftly and efficiently to counter threats and expand the boundaries of the ever-growing empire. Atahualpa also ordered the murder of Huascar after learning that he had offered Pizarro twice his ransom.
The Inca war machine benefitted greatly from effective road and communication networks, as well as strategically placed storehouses (tambos). Rulers naturally wanted to outdo their predecessors and so the empire expanded ever outwards into new territories throughout the history of the Incas. At the Battle of Ollantaytambo, for example, Hernando Pizarro commanded about 100 Spaniards — 30 infantry, 70 cavalry — alongside an estimated 30,000 native allies. The Sun made his figure shine so that his image “wounded the eyes” of onlookers, making it easy for Atahualpa’s generals to seize him. The Maya were a mighty civilization based in the low, rainy forests of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize whose culture peaked around 800 A.D. before going into steep decline.
Were these tactics successful against the Spaniards?
For the ruler, conquests yielded booty and new tributaries to support the royal lifestyle and the broader regime.
The Incas were great diplomats, and they were able to extend their influence throughout the Andes region by negotiating trade and tribute agreements, offering impressive gift exchanges, organising inter-marriages, and relocating sympathetic populations to newly acquired or troublesome areas. ( Log Out / Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Humanities Core Course Lecture, 10 Jan. 2018, Irvine, California, BS3 1200. Late in the Classic period, when the warring in the Maya region became much worse, cities would be attacked, looted and destroyed. Further, the community would not be robbed of all their resources as long as they pledged allegiance to …
They knew that the fall of the commander could quickly turn the tide of battle; Inca warriors were disciplined, but would often break and run without leadership.
For example, on the new moon no fighting was permitted, a fact the Spanish took advantage of when they attacked Cuzco in the first half of the 16th century CE.
Troops carried idols of their gods onto the battlefields, because their supernatural powers, the Natives believed, aided and even determined the outcome. Book your flights today and travel on the safest travel company in Peru! Protection was provided by hide rectangular or trapezoid shields, helmets of plaited cane or wood, and metal plates over the chest and back or tunics of quilted cloth which were both resistant and light to wear. Diplomacy was an important tool and used time and again by the Incas to acquire new territory with the minimum of bloodshed but sometimes they were obliged to engage in battleand several regions of the empire persistently resisted Inca rule.
Although the Incas came to prefer certain ethnic groups for garrisons or for the emperor’s guard, such as the Cañari and Chachapoya, they never developed a professional army, relying instead on forces that could be quickly mustered and disbanded. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. in Greek philosophy and his special interests include the Minoans, the ancient Americas, and world mythology.
Then he decided to dismantle the constructions and flatten the site. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005. Weapons differed depending on the ethnic origin of particular units but included hardwood spears launched using throwers, arrows, javelins, slings, the bolas, clubs, and maces with star-shaped heads made of copper or bronze. Even after the initial psychological effect of these Conquistador horses had lost much of its impact, it was still all too clear that the Inca would have to adapt to this new threat. Inca Tactical Developments – Defensive Measures.
It soon became clear to the Inca that defensive measures were needed in order to counter Spanish cavalry, especially in open terrain. Soldiers could take their wives with them on campaign. If time or terrain did not allow for such large constructions, the Incas would dig smaller holes with the intention of tripping the horse and bringing down its rider. Orejones trained for war from boyhood, internalizing core values of honor and martial prowess. It was only when diplomacy failed that the Incas turned toward military force to influence the Andean people (Cartwright). New York: J. J. Augustin, 1941. Warfare almost certainly had something to do with the disappearance of the Maya civilization: by the late Classic period wars, battles and skirmishes were quite common and important resources were dedicated to wars and city defenses. Sometimes extra protection was provided by a moat, revetments, and gates with multiple and offset doorways. Los últimos Incas del Cusco. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Historian Terence N. D’Altroy highlights some key elements inherent within Inca warfare, elements that often served to hinder them against the Spanish: “the concentration of massed force, the physical leadership of the army by its officers, the three-pronged attack, and the collapse of the army’s discipline with the loss of its command”. Scale and logistics were the great military strengths of the Incas—not technology, tactics, or battlefield organization.
The decline of the Maya civilization is still a mystery. A huge area of the Upper Mantaro Valley was conquered in this way without any bloodshed whatsoever. Back to the Medieval Media Message Board. These open battle tactics, combined with an overreliance upon sheer numbers alone, would not fare well against the armies of the Spanish Conquistadors. For this reason, the Inca army was a conglomerate of individual ethnic units, each led by their own local commander and fighting with their own preferred weapons.
They acted as the personal bodyguard of the Inca king and wore distinctive tunics of black and white checks with a bright red triangle at the neck. However, before gunmen could reload or fire shots, often they would be attacked (Nova). The Maya penchant for warfare is reflected in their architecture. Topic, J. R., and T. L. Topic. O’Toole also explained how weapons were acquired from the Spaniards, as well as how the Spaniards taught their Andean allies how to make swords. The Incas turned to two tactical ploys: fighting in terrain that would naturally restrict the effectiveness of horses, or altering the terrain in order to impede them. Conscripts fought with the same weapons their ancestors had used. The Maya penchant for warfare is reflected in their architecture. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He was known to create alliances, then later end them, conquering his former allies.