Cotton armor

[vtsaogames]

I've started reading Bernal Diaz's "Conquest of New Spain". He was in two expeditions to the Yucatan that failed to conquer territory and then joined the Cortez force. He says the Troops started that expedition in cotton armor (and steel helmets), likely based on their earlier experiences. I had always assumed they started in steel armor and switched to cotton armor because of the heat, and cotton armor providing good enough protection against Indian darts and arrows.

Anyone know of an online picture of this cotton armor?

[Belgian]

Think it would be like a gambeson, if you look for conquistador gambeson you find some examples of ornated gambesons with puffy shoulders and all that. Think that might be the mentionned cotton armour but not sure, might be less ornated depending on the period.

[carlos marighela]

17th C bandeirantes in Brazil. Figure second from left in quilted cotton armour. I should imagine the Conquistadors wore near identical kit as this was a very popular style in the New World.

Have a look at Eureka’s 28mm Conquistador and Portuguese ranges for figures so equipped.

[Atheling]

Think it would be like a gambeson, if you look for conquistador gambeson you find some examples of ornated gambesons with puffy shoulders and all that. Think that might be the mentionned cotton armour but not sure, might be less ornated depending on the period.

Yep, almost certainly similar to a gambeson. If the armour was not padded in the same way it would bot offer any real protection.  Sometimes they were stuffed with stray and all sorts of materials.

Sculpture by Antonio Rizzo:



Modern interpretation of similar garment:

Arming doublet worn as a base garment for armour. Made up of three layers:
Outer layer - wool or linen, reinforced with leather straps
Filling - 100% cotton
Lining - silk or linen

[OB]

I'd suggest you have a look at the simple cotton padded armour on Huron's Aztec Army thread on this board.  It could cope with Indian weapons and that's all Bernal and company had to face in Yucatan.  Indian crafts could copy European patterns but in this case it's hard to see why they would.  What they produced could already meet the military requirement of the Yucatan expedition.

The Conquest of New Spain is a fantastic book and it repays more than one read through.  Bernal Diaz apologises for his lack of literary style but for me it made his book seem very modern and accessible.  I have the DA CAPO Press edition from 1996 with a forward from Hugh Thomas who wrote Conquest.  I think you are in for a literary treat.  If you get really interested Conquest is well worth reading too.

[Yuber Okami]

Search for "esquipil" on google. It seems to be the way that kind of armour was called in America in those days

[Metternich]

The first link shows Axtec cotton armor:

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/19/67/44/196744ab3b6ec406dd2ba1d6dd8a31cd.jpg

An esquipil that was auctioned off:

https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images2/1/0311/28/conquistador-quilted-armor-armour_1_dfe7384eff8c9ee34c4473961105cd3c.jpg

Here a group of reenactors of de Soto's expedition:

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/19/67/44/196744ab3b6ec406dd2ba1d6dd8a31cd.jpg

This link shows both conquistadors (including in cotton armor) and their mesoamerican opponents (some also in cotton armor):

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2018/04/08/mesoamerican-spanish-conquests/

https://archive.org/download/spanish-colonization/spanish-colonization.jpg

[vtsaogames]

Excellent, thank all of you. A brief glance always made me think the Mexican outfits were all feathers. Now I see it was cotton armor adorned with some feathers.

[vtsaogames]

Previously I read a version of Cortez's early battle with Mayans that had the Indians stop when they saw the horses. Bernal Diaz says the cavalry hit the Mayan warriors in the rear and broke them, and he was there. Great book.

[OB]

It is, there's a whole education there.  I wish someone would publish an unexpurgated version. Notice how the Mayan close range missilery is quite effective.

I don't know if you fancy gaming it Vincent.  If you do there are some quite nice 15mm Maya about and a Lion Rampant version online.

[vtsaogames]

Don't know about starting a new project. It's hard to stay focused right now with all this chaos. I did finish the book. The effect of all the darts, arrows and stones seems intense, yet many of the wounds inflicted did not seem to disable the Spanish soldiers. They also had the strong incentive of knowing the fate of any taken captive, and the likely fate of anyone who tried to flee alone.

[OB]

Yes mainly flesh wounds, many, many wounds but very few fatalities for the Spanish.

[Atheling]

It's hard to stay focused right now with all this chaos. I did finish the book.

I know exactly what you mean. I've had to self isolate due to a serious underlying health condition and it's extremely hard not to worry about the basics at present. Tried reading yesterday, got about six pages in and fell asleep which I can only put down to mental exhaustion.

Sorry to go OT. If I don't express it I'm going to go insane.

[Metternich]

Atheling - certainly understand the distress.  Between worrying about my and family's future health, and watching my retirement savings diminishing daily on the stock market, hard to remain calm.

[Atheling]

Atheling - certainly understand the distress.  Between worrying about my and family's future health, and watching my retirement savings diminishing daily on the stock market, hard to remain calm.

I feel for you and yours. And the world if I'm honest