Subject: militia capitán

Culture: Bourbon Spanish

Setting: colonial warfare, New Spain 1759-1821

Context

* Borderlands 1998 p76

"By 1700 the unmatched mobility and power of the horse was transforming the Indian's way of life, including warfare. Nuevo Santander and other parts of New Spain were in frequent danger from raids by mounted Apache and Comanche warriors. Defense, thus, was a routine part of life for Escandón's colonists. To help save the expense of large numbers of royal troops, the settlers were expected to bear arms when necessary, as militia. Most villas had about a dozen of these citizen-soldiers, under the village capitán's authority."

Guns

Sword

Cf.

* Chartrand & Spedaliere 2006

* de Quesada & Walsh 2010

* Elliott ed. 1991

* Hargreaves-Mawdsley 1978