Dogs of War: How Spain Conquered New World Empires with Ferocious Canines
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News18•12-01-2026, 11:37
Dogs of War: How Spain Conquered New World Empires with Ferocious Canines
- •Approximately 500 years ago, Spanish armies used specially bred war dogs, like Spanish Alano and Bullmastiff, as a primary weapon during their expansion in the New World.
- •These giant, aggressive dogs were so terrifying that indigenous populations mistook them for lions, creating immense fear and panic on the battlefield.
- •Colonel Carlos Enrique Freyre describes these dogs as an "entire war system," trained to be more dangerous than horses or elephants, capable of tearing and eating humans.
- •Conquerors like Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Juan Ponce de León, and Francisco Pizarro heavily relied on these dogs in their campaigns, including the conquest of the Inca Empire.
- •Initially used for battle and punishment, the dogs' role diminished as Spain needed laborers, leading the monarchy to order their elimination, though many soldiers maintained bonds with them.
Why It Matters: Spanish conquistadors leveraged ferocious war dogs as a psychological and physical weapon to conquer the New World.
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