2. The numbers of native auxiliaries The nominal subordination of native forces to Spanish leadership was tempered by the utter dependence of Spaniards on the native warriors who consistently outnumbered them. As the Spaniards passed through native villages, some of the tribes warriors were donated to the Spanish campaign. Up to forty thousand indigenous soldiers took part in the campaign.
3. The ubiquity of native allies Don Juan Cortes, the indigenous ruler of Tehuantepec, sent two thousand men with Pedro de Alvarado for the conquest of Chiapas and Guatemala. A document from Xochimilco, claims that twelve thousand Xochimilca took part in the siege of Tenochtitlan and that another twenty five hundred accompanied Pedro de Alvarado to Guatemala and Honduras.
4. The crucial role of noncombatant auxiliaries Large numbers of porters(or tameme) were of the utmost importance for the success of any military undertaking. The porters carried the supplies and gear for the Spaniards and also the wounded. This would allow the spaniards to not be slowed down by the immense weight they each would carry. Cooks were a big part of the survival of the spaniards. Every village they stopped at they scavenged for food. Eventually, they just took a cook to be theirs for the rest of the campaign. Native guides warned the invaders on various occasions that there were large armies awaiting them on the road ahead. They would also make aware that there were ambushes in the area.
5. Imitating preconquest patterns of imperial expansion. These strategies were used equally in western europe. For example: Trade Routes, the pursuit of sequential conquests, and the forging of multicity alliances.
