How did Hernán Cortés and his conquistador’s, who were in now Mexico, have enough ammunition to fight the natives while staying for years 1519–1521

Question

How did Hernán Cortés and his conquistador’s, who were in now Mexico, have enough ammunition to fight the natives while staying for years 1519–1521

In: Other

Answer 1

Enough people are telling you how firearms weren’t the main combat weapon, and how ammunition could be husband’s but the simple answer to your question after you consider mitigating factors is that ammunition at the time and up to the 1800s at least is basically a matter of lead and gunpowder. It cam be made in the field. You can cast lead shot fairly easily and you can grind and mix your own gunpowder from the raw materials. Saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal. The latter is easy, sulphur can be mined, and saltpeter beleive it or not you can scrape off the walls of a cesspit. I mean, I don’t recommend it as a hobby, but you can do it.