- Animals brought from the Old Continent to Mexico
- 1- Horses
- 2 dogs
- 3- Cats
- 4- Hens, roosters and chickens
- 5- Pigs
- 6- Won
- References
The first animals that the Spaniards brought to Mexico had as their protagonist the explorer Hernán Cortés, who stepped on land accompanied by 16 horses. Other animals that the Spanish brought were pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, cats, cattle, donkeys, mules, bees, some birds and new species of dogs endemic to Europe and foreign to the newly discovered American continent.
The arrival of the Spaniards to the continent brought as a consequence the introduction of many species of exotic animals previously unknown in the region. The Spanish used to leave pairs of animals in a territory so that they could mate and thus populate the area with these species.
The Spanish brought to America the domestic animals necessary to replicate their old continent ways of life. Most of them brought animals to graze and produce food they were used to.
Additionally, they brought beasts that were part of their daily lives, even if they had no necessary purpose to subsist, like dogs, including war dogs like Great Danes.
Colonization also brought as a consequence the arrival of diseases to which the natives had not been exposed and which were transmitted by European animals. The plague spread thanks to flies from house rats that came on ships, swine flu carried by pigs, or malaria and yellow fever carried by mosquitoes.
Animals brought from the Old Continent to Mexico
1- Horses
Cortés originally brought 16 horses to Mexico, but over the two years of the conquest, more horses arrived on the continent. The Spanish used Spanish thoroughbred horses as warhorses during this period. These horses are the ancestors of many current horses, such as the Appaloosa, the Connemara, the Quarter Horse and the Cleveland Bay, among others.
The horses of the American continent had been extinct for more than 12 thousand years, so these animals were completely unknown to the natives.
Furthermore, the indigenous people were not familiar with the concept of using an animal to transport men, so they thought that the Spanish were some kind of centaur or supernatural creature. The only large quadrupeds that the natives were familiar with were bison, llamas, and alpacas
Spanish ranchers kept their horses as they were kept in Spain; they left them free until needed. Thanks to this, the horses were able to mate freely, so natural selection took care of creating the species, such as the Galiceño Horse of today.
These horses are generally purebred thanks to the fact that the southern region of Mexico where they originated is relatively isolated.
2 dogs
The dogs that the Spanish brought in were mostly war dogs. These dogs were strong and fierce, accompanying their owners in battles. They commonly put armor on them to protect them from enemies and were incredibly valued.
The Spanish were so dependent on their war dogs that they trained them to kill. They often made them fast for days before a battle to make them more deadly against their enemies. They were also used as a method of torture against Americans.
The indigenous Aztecs were familiar with certain breeds of dogs, but they were generally small, harmless species, without much fur. The species known to these natives were an antecedent of the modern Chihuahua and the Xoloitzcuintle. These dogs were raised as pets and also as food and a source of protein.
Unlike these more shy endogenous breeds, European dogs were large and aggressive. Some of the breeds brought by the Spanish to Mexico were wolfhounds, greyhounds, lurchers, pit bulls, and mastiffs similar to modern rottweilers.
Clad in metal armor and chains, the natives did not believe that these creatures were dogs and regarded them as beasts. Over time more breeds were brought from Europe and different breeds of dogs were domesticated.
3- Cats
The cats brought by the Spanish were valuable, proven by evidence of their sale in the territory. Cats were also important to society as they helped control pests.
4- Hens, roosters and chickens
Chickens quickly spread throughout the new world. Of all the animals that the Spaniards brought, chickens were the ones that spread the fastest throughout the territory. This happened since they were easily exchanged for the native turkey.
5- Pigs
The pig was one of the main source of food for the Spanish. For that reason, when they arrived in America they brought a large quantity.
Since pigs can eat almost anything and have many young when they mate, they soon spread throughout the jungles and American forest. After several generations, the domesticated European pigs became razorbacks or wild pigs.
Of all the new animals, the pig was probably the one that had the most ecological impact. Pigs had a great influence on changing the flora and fauna of the area thanks to their diverse diet.
6- Won
Hernán Cortés brought many head of cattle to Mexico. Ranchers and haciendas were established to raise these cattle and provide beef to the conquerors.
Additionally, livestock not only served as a food source. The Spanish also used it as a method of force and power; the drudgery of settling on the new continent was easier with animal help.
Cattle adapted very well in America; cows could give birth up to three times a year and thus spread rapidly across the continent.
References
- Spain and America: From Reconquest to Conquest (1997-2013). Learn NC. University of North Carolina. NC, EU. Recovered from learnnc.org.
- What Did Spanish Conquistadors Bring to the New World? (2001-2017). Classroom, Leaf Group Ltd. Recovered from classroom.synonym.com.
- Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico (2001). 2nd edition. Houston Texas. Routledge - Taylor & Francis.
- War in Spanish Colonization. Shmoop (2017). Schmoop University. Recovered from schmoop.com.
- The Arrival of Horses into the Americas. Galiceño Horses. Galiceno Org. Recovered from galiceno.org.
- Horses of the Conquistadors. Andalusian Horse Articles (2012-2013). Skyhorse Ranch and Kennel. Recovered from spanishvisionfarm.com.
- War Dogs. K-9 conqueror. Recovered from conquistadorcanine.com.
- The Spanish use of Animals as Weapons of War. Ancient Origins - Stella Novus (2013). Recovered from ancient-origins.net.
- The Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia (1992). 3rd edition. Simon & Schuster.
- Native Americans: An Interdisciplinary Unit on Converging Cultures (1997). U.S. J. Welson Wash.