Becerrillo The Terrifying War Dog Of The Spanish Conquistadors

BECERRILLO: THE
TERRIFYING WAR DOG

OF THE SPANISH
CONQUISTADORS

Dogs have been used as
powerful weapons of war
for at least the last 3,000

years. The ancient
Egyptians, Greeks,
Persians, Sarmatians,
Britons, and Romans are all
known to have used dogs
in combat, or for scouts,
sentries, trackers, or
executioners. But the
Spanish conquistadors
employed war dogs on a
scale that had rarely been
seen before, and with
devastating effect.

Becerrillo, The ‘Bull’ That Was Trained To Kill

Becerrillo, a name meaning ‘Little Bull’,
was a brown-eyed, red pelted mastiff
owned by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce
de León but often entrusted to the care

of conquistadors Captain Diego
Guilarte de Salazar and Sancho de

Aragón.

Death

The campaign of terror
committed through Becerrillo
came to an end one morning in
1514 when indigenous Caribs

from the island of Vieques
captured Sancho de Aragón.
According to chronicles, the
dog pursued the attackers who

had taken off in dugout
canoes, but making his way
through the water, Becerrillo
became an easy target and
was hit by a volley of arrows

and died. He was given a
secret burial and was mourned

more than their fallen
comrades. Like every soldier

and every dog loyal to his
master, Becerrillo was dutiful
and allegiant until the very end.
He may have taken many lives,
but it was his masters who were

the true killers.