There is a little known element that played a fundamental role in Spain’s conquest of the Americas: the use of ferocious war dogs by the conquistadors. While the colonization of the Americas is commonly associated with armies of soldiers facing indigenous warriors in bloody battles, their canine companions also played a decisive role.
Originally brought to the Americas to scare the region’s existing communities, these dogs soon proved their worth in combat. However, since dogs already existed in the New World – albeit of a more docile variety – they did not cause the same level of fear amongst indigenous populations as did horses, which were unknown in the Americas at that time.
These trained beasts not only terrorized the indigenous people, but also symbolized the brutality of Spain’s devastating conquest. In many cases, these terrifying dogs came to have the same, or even more, importance than the conquerors’ foot soldiers.
A living weapon: the terrifying war dogs that helped Spanish conquistadors take over the Americas
Since the Middle Ages, dogs had been used in Europe as instruments of war. When the Spanish arrived in the New World, they brought these practices with them, shipping over strong and extremely aggressive breeds such as the bulldogs and mastiffs. These dogs were trained to attack, chase, and kill their human enemies, obeying precise orders from their masters.
Accounts from the time describe how these dogs were considered as lethal as more traditional weapons such as swords or arquebuses (a type ofportable long-barrelled gun). The canines were not only used in combat, but also in punitive expeditions to punish and subdue communities that resisted conquest.
European chroniclers, such as Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, left testimonies of how the dogs were unleashed against entire groups of indigenous people, who, without the means to defend themselves, succumbed to the terror and chaos.
Systematic use of terror in conquest of the Americas
The strategy of using war dogs went beyond simple combat. It was also a form of psychological warfare. The Spaniards quickly understood that these war dogs could instill fear in the indigenous communities, many of which had never seen creatures of such size and ferocity.
A dog’s attack was brutal: it lunged at its victim, knocking it down with its weight and tearing it apart with its powerful jaws. The speed and lethality of the attack left little room for reaction.
A documented example is the use of dogs by the Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. On one occasion he ordered a group of indigenous people to be eaten alive by his dogs as punishment for resisting Spanish authority.
These types of acts, although grisly, were not isolated; they were part of a calculated strategy of intimidation.
The masters of these dogs, called “perreros,” were soldiers specialized in the training and handling of these beasts. The perreros developed a close bond with their animals, ensuring that they obeyed specific orders and were always ready for combat.
In some cases, the dogs even had names that reflected their function or ferocity. “Becerrillo,” for example, was a Spanish bulldog famous for his participation in the conquest of Puerto Rico alongside his master Sancho de Arango.
War dogs were also protected and cared for as valuable assets. They received a special diet to maintain their strength and endurance, and were carefully transported during long journeys.
Conquistador’s brutality against indigenous communities
The use of war dogs not only caused immediate human loss, but also generated lasting trauma in indigenous communities. Accounts of dog attacks spread rapidly, generating widespread fear that weakened organized resistance against the conquistadors.
Indigenous people saw Spanish dogs as demonic entities, creatures impossible to defeat with traditional weapons. In many cases, this fear translated into forced submission, accelerating the process of conquest and colonization.
Today, the use of war dogs during the conquest of the Americas is a reminder of the brutal tactics employed to subjugate indigenous populations. Although these events occurred centuries ago, the wounds left by the violence and dehumanization of that era still persist in the collective memory of the region’s indigenous peoples.
The war dogs used by the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas were more than just weapons: they were a symbol of the terror and oppression that facilitated the colonization of the continent.
Their presence in the accounts of the time reveals a particularly dark side of Spain’s colonization of the region and the extent of its brutality.