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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 5 by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 5




In pursuance of this resolution, on Tuesday the 15th of September, two
days after the slaughter of the commissary Suarez, the viceroy gave
orders to Diego Alvarez de Cueto, with a party of horse, to convey the
children of the late Marquis Pizarro on board ship, and to remain in
charge of them and the licentiate Vaca de Castro. On this occasion, he
gave the command of the fleet to Cueto, being afraid lest Don Antonio de
Ribera and his wife, who then had the charge of young Don Gonzalo and
his brothers, children of the late marquis, might conceal them and give
them up to their uncle. This measure occasioned much emotion among the
inhabitants of Lima, and gave great offence to the oydors or judges of
the royal audience, particularly to the licentiate Ortiz de Zarate, who
made strong remonstrances to the viceroy against sending Donna Francisco
Pizarro among the sailors and soldiers, where she could not reside in
decent comfort. This young lady, who was both beautiful and rich, was
now almost grown a woman, and the conduct of the viceroy towards her on
this occasion was considered as harsh, tyrannical, and unnecessary.
Ortiz was unable to prevail on the viceroy to recall his orders
respecting the children of the late marquis; and he even openly declared
that he had come to the resolution of abandoning Lima in the way already
mentioned. All the oydors considered these intended steps as highly
improper and ruinous to the colony; and declared, that as they had been
ordered by his majesty to take up their residence in Lima, they were
determined not to quit that place without a new royal order for the
express purpose. As the viceroy found that every thing he could say was
quite ineffectual to bring over the oydors to his sentiments, he
resolved to gain possession of the _royal seal_, and to carry it off
with himself to Truxillo, by which measure the oydors would be reduced
to the state of private persons in Lima, and unable to hold any sitting
of the royal audience, unless they chose to accompany him to Truxillo.
When this resolution of the viceroy was communicated to the oydors, they
called the chancellor before them, from whom they took the seal, which
they committed to the custody of the licentiate Cepeda, the senior
oydor. This was done by three of the oydors, Cepeda, Texada, and
Alvarez, Ortiz being absent at the time.

On the same evening, all the four oydors assembled in the house of
Cepeda, and agreed to present a formal requisition to the viceroy to
bring back the family of the late marquis from the fleet in which he had
embarked them. After this resolution had been engrossed in the register,
the licentiate Ortiz retired to his own house, being indisposed. The
other three oydors continued in consultation on the measures which were
proper to be adopted, for defending themselves against the power of the
viceroy, in case he should persist in his plans, and endeavour to make
them embark by force, which they publickly asserted was his intention.
On this occasion, they drew up an ordinance or public act, by which, in
the name and authority of the king "they commanded all the inhabitants
of the city of Lima, captains, soldiers, and others, civil and military,
in case the viceroy should give orders to remove them, the oydors of the
royal audience, by force and violence from Lima, that they should aid,
assist, and defend them, in opposition to such a measure, as illegal and
unjust, and contrary to the orders of his majesty, clearly expressed in
the new regulations, and in the commission granted to them as oydors of
the royal audience."

Having formally extended and authenticated this _act_, they communicated
it in secret to Captain Martin de Robles, whom they desired to hold
himself and his soldiers in readiness to defend them in case of need. De
Robles engaged to stand by them; for though one of the captains in the
troops, he was not on good terms with the viceroy. Several other persons
of importance in the city, to whom the oydors communicated the
resolutions which they had formed, promised likewise to stand by them
against the tyranny of the viceroy. That same evening, all who were in
concert with the oydors held themselves in readiness, anxiously waiting
the event of an open breach between the viceroy and the judges of the
royal audience. However secret the steps taken by the oydors might have
been, they became known to the viceroy, or at least he entertained
violent suspicions of their nature and tendency. At night-fall, Martin
de Robles went privately to the house of the oydor Cepeda, to whom he
communicated his opinion that the viceroy was already informed of all
their proceedings, and that, unless prompt measures were taken for their
security, they would all be put to death. Cepeda sent immediately for
Alvarez and Texada, two others of the oydors; and these three came
immediately to the determination of openly defending themselves against
the viceroy, if he should attempt their arrest. For this purpose,
several of their friends, and some of the soldiers of the company,
commanded by De Robles, assembled in arms at their residence. While this
was going on, Urbina the maestre de campo or major-general, when going
his rounds met several of these soldiers in the street, and immediately
suspected the truth. He went, therefore, straight to the viceroy, to
whom he communicated the suspicious circumstances he had observed, that
some prompt measures might be concerted for counteracting the
machinations of the oydors. The viceroy desired him to fear nothing, as
they had only civilians to deal with, who had not sufficient courage to
concert any enterprize against his authority. Urbina went away
accordingly to continue his round; but as he still continued to meet
several armed horsemen in the streets, all of whom were going towards
the house of Cepeda, he returned again to the palace, and remonstrated
with the viceroy on the absolute necessity of taking instant measures of
defence. The viceroy immediately put on his armour and ordered to sound
an alarm, after which he went out into the great square before the
palace, accompanied by his nightly guard of a hundred soldiers and all
his domestic establishment, meaning to have proceeded to the house of
Cepeda, to arrest the oydors, to chastise the mutineers, and to
re-establish order in the city. While in the great square near the gate
of the palace, he noticed that it was impossible to prevent the soldiers
from going to join the oydors, as the horsemen who filled all the
streets constrained them to take that direction. If, however, the
viceroy had persisted in his first design, he could hardly have found
much difficulty or considerable resistance, as he then had a greatly
superior force to what had assembled with Cepeda and the other judges.
He was disuaded from executing these intentions by Alfonzo Palomino,
alcalde or police-judge of Lima, who asserted that a great majority of
the troops were assembled at the house of Cepeda, and were about to
attack him; for which reason, the best measure was to fortify himself in
the palace, which could easily be defended; whereas he had not a
sufficient force to assail the oydors and their adherents. Influenced by
this advice, the viceroy retired into the palace, accompanied by his
brother Vela Nunnez, Paul de Meneses, Jerom de la Cerna, Alfonso de
Caceres, Diego de Urbina, and others of his friends and followers, with
all his relations and servants. The hundred soldiers of the nightly
guard were posted at the great gate of the palace, with orders to
prevent any one from going in.

While these vacillatory measures were going on at the viceregal palace,
information was brought to the oydors, that the viceroy had drawn out
his troops in the great square, with the intention of attacking them.
Having as yet collected only a small force for their protection, they
resolved to go out into the street; believing, if the viceroy should
come to blockade them, and should occupy the streets leading to the
house of Cepeda, that all those who were disposed to aid them would be
intercepted. They advanced therefore by the streets which led towards
the great square, and were soon joined by others of their adherents, to
the number of about two hundred men. To justify their conduct on this
occasion, they caused the act which they had drawn up to be publickly
read; but so great was the noise and confusion, that very few of those
present were able to hear its tenor. On the arrival of the judges and
their partizans in the great square, day began to dawn. At this time,
the troops attached to the viceroy fired a few musket-shots, from the
corridore of the palace, and began to extend themselves in front of the
main gate. The soldiers who accompanied the oydors were much displeased
at this procedure, and proposed to assault the palace, and to slay all
that resisted them; but the oydors restrained and appeased them. The
oydors then deputed Gaspard de Carvajal, the superior of the Dominicans,
and Antonio de Robles, to inform the viceroy, that their only demand
from him was an assurance that they should not be compelled to embark
against their will and contrary to the express orders of his majesty,
which fixed their residence at Lima. They farther required, that,
without proceeding to hostilities, the viceroy should come to the great
church, where they proposed, going to meet him, and where all their
differences might be amicably settled; as otherwise he would put both
himself and all who were with him in extreme danger. While these envoys
were in the palace in the execution of their commission, the hundred
soldiers who formed the guard of the viceroy went over in a body to the
oydors; by which, as the entrance to the palace was left entirely
unguarded, several of the malecontents got admission to the chambers
belonging to the officers of the viceroy in the outer court, which they
pillaged. At this time, the licentiate Ortiz de Zarate went from his
house towards the palace, meaning to have joined the viceroy; but
meeting the other oydors on his way, and seeing that it was impossible
for him to prosecute his original design, he accompanied them to the
church.

When the viceroy received the message of the oydors from Carvajal and
Antonio de Robles, considering at the same time that his palace was
already in possession of the insurgents, and that his own troops had
abandoned him, he determined to proceed to the church, and to give
himself up to the oydors who there waited for him. They carried him
directly, in his coat of mail and cuirass, to the house of Cepeda;
where, seeing Ortiz along with the other judges, he exclaimed: "Is it
possible that you, in whom I had so much confidence as one of my best
friends, have joined with the rest in making me a prisoner." To this the
licentiate replied, "Whoever has told you so spoke falsely, as it is
known to every one who those are that have caused you to be arrested,
and that I have no share in the matter." The three other judges gave
immediate orders to convey the viceroy on board ship, that he might be
sent to Spain; justly fearing, if Gonzalo Pizarro should find him in
custody on his arrival at Limn, that he would put him to death, or that
the relations and friends of the commissary Suarez might kill him in
revenge for the murder of that officer; as in either of which cases the
blame might be imputed to them, the judges were much embarrassed how
best to act in this delicate emergency, considering that if they merely
sent the viceroy on board the fleet which lay at anchor off the harbour
of Calao, he might be soon in condition to return in force against them.
In this dilemma, they appointed Cepeda, one of their number, to act as
captain-general of the colony; who, with a strong guard, conducted the
deposed viceroy to the sea side on purpose to put him on board one of
the ships. They found some difficulty in executing this measure, as
Diego Alvarez de Cueto, who commanded the fleet, on seeing the
assemblage of people on the shore, and learning that they had the
viceroy among them as a prisoner, sent Jerom de Zurbano, one of his
captains in an armed boat to collect all the boats of the fleet, with
which, accompaniment he approached the shore and demanded the liberation
of the viceroy from the judges. This measure was altogether ineffectual,
as the judges refused to listen to the demands of Cueto; who, after
exchanging a few shots with those on shore, went back to his ships.

After this, the judges sent off a message to Cueto, by means of Friar
Gaspard de Carvajal, in which the deposed viceroy concurred, ordering
him to surrender the command of the fleet, and to give up the children
of the late marquis, in return for which they would place the viceroy
under his charge, who would otherwise be in great peril of his life. On
getting aboard ship, Friar Gaspard presented his commission to Cueto and
gave him a full account of the state of affairs, in presence of the
licentiate Vaca de Castro, who still remained a prisoner in that vessel.
In consideration of the danger to which the viceroy was exposed, Cueto
sent the children of the marquis on shore together with Don Antonio de
Ribera and his wife who had the care of them. The judges still insisted
that Cueto should surrender the fleet to their command, threatening to
behead the viceroy if he refused; and though Vela Nunnez, brother to the
viceroy, went several times with messages to induce compliance, the
captains of the ships would not consent to that measure, so that the
judges were constrained to return to Lima with the viceroy still in
custody.

Two days afterwards, the commanders of the ships were informed that the
judges and their partizans had come to the resolution of sending a
strong force of musqueteers in boats to make themselves masters of the
ships by force. They might perhaps have easily persuaded Cueto to give
up the fleet, of which in reality Jerom de Zurbano had more the command
than he, as all the soldiers and sailors who were attached to the
deposed viceroy were at his disposal; but Zurbano, to whom the judges
made great offers, was quite inflexible. The captains of the fleet came
even to the resolution of quitting the port of Lima, to cruise upon the
coast of Peru, till such time as they might receive orders from his
majesty how to conduct themselves in the present crisis. They believed
that the viceroy had many friends and adherents in Lima and other parts
of Peru; as many persons who had not taken any share in the deposition
and imprisonment of the viceroy, and several of those who were best
disposed to the royal service continued almost daily to make their
escape on board the fleet. The ships were tolerably well armed and
appointed, having ten or twelve iron cannon, and three or four of brass,
besides forty quintals of powder. As to provisions, they had above four
hundred quintals of biscuit, five hundred bags of maize, and a large
store of salt meat; so that they were victualled sufficiently for a
considerable time, and they could easily procure water on any part of
the coast. Their force however was very small, as they had only twenty
five soldiers, and by no means a sufficient number of mariners for the
ten ships which composed their fleet. They resolved therefore to abandon
four of the smallest vessels, which they were unable to man; and not
thinking it right to leave these behind, lest they might have been
employed against themselves by the partizans of the judges, they set
these small vessels on fire the day after the imprisonment of the
viceroy, as likewise two fishing barks which were in the harbour, and
then set sail. The four small ships were entirely destroyed, but the two
fishing vessels were saved after sustaining very little damage.

The fleet went into the harbour of Guavra, which is eighteen leagues
_below_[3] the port of Lima, where they took in a supply of wood and
water. They carried the licentiate Vaca de Castro along with them, and
resolved to wait at Guavra to see what consequences might follow from
the imprisonment of the viceroy. When this came to the knowledge of the
judges, who believed the ships might not go to any considerable distance
from Guavra, on account of the attachment of their commanders to the
viceroy whose life was in danger, they determined to send a force both
by sea and land to attempt acquiring possession of the ships almost at
any risk. For this purpose, they gave orders to Diego Garcias de Alfaro,
an inhabitant of Lima who was versant in maritime affairs, to repair and
fit out the two barks which had drifted on shore. When that was done,
Alfaro embarked in them with thirty musqueteers, and set sail towards
Guavra. At the same time, Don Juan de Mendoza and Ventura Beltran,[4]
were sent off by land with a party of soldiers in the same direction. On
coming to Guavra in the night, Garcias de Alfaro concealed his two barks
behind a light house[5], in the harbour very near the ships, where he
could not be seen. At the same time, the party which went by land began
to fire off their muskets, and the people in the ships believed they
were some friends of the viceroy who wished to embark. Vela Nunnez was
sent accordingly in a boat to the shore, to learn what was meant by the
firing, on which Diego Garcias pushed on his barks between Vela Nunnez
and the ships, firing upon him and obliged him to surrender.
Intelligence of this event was immediately sent to Cueto, with a message
assuring him that both the viceroy and his brother would be immediately
put to death unless he surrendered his ships to the judges. Cueto[6]
accordingly submitted, being afraid lest the threat might be executed;
but had certainly not been allowed to do so if Zurbano had been present,
who had sailed from Guavra with his ships, two days before the arrival
of Diego Garcias, with the intention of going all along the coast
between Lima and Tierra Firma to take possession of every ship he might
fall in with, to prevent them from being employed by the oydors.

[Footnote 3: The expression in the text _below_, is probably an error in
the French translator in rendering _barlovento_ which signifies to
leeward. Accordingly, to the north of Lima, and about the indicated
distance, there is a sea-port or coast town named Huaura, certainly the
place meant by Zarate. _Hua_ and _Gua_ are often inchanged by the
Spaniards in the names of places in America, probably from the g having
a guttural sound, or strong aspiration.--E.]

[Footnote 4: Garcilasso names this person Ventura Veltran.--E.]

[Footnote 5: In Garcilasso de la Vega, obviously copying this part of
the story from Zarate, Garcias is said to have concealed his barks
behind a rock.--E.]

[Footnote 6: This person is always named Cuero, by Garcilasso; who
likewise informs us that he was brother-in-law to the viceroy.--E.]

Immediately after the departure of the fleet under Cueto from the port
of Lima, the judges became apprehensive lest the relations of the
commissary might put the viceroy to death, which they actually
threatened; on which account they came to a resolution, to transport him
to an island about two leagues from the coast. For this purpose he was
embarked along with a guard of twenty men in one of those barks or
floats made of dried reeds which the Indians call _henea_. When the
judges learnt the surrender of the fleet under Cueto, they determined
upon sending him as a prisoner to Spain, with a formal memorial of all
that had passed, and deputed the licenciate Alvarez, one of their number
to take charge of him thither, and to support their memorial at the
court of Spain, giving him 8000 crowns to defray the expences of the
voyage. For this purpose all the necessary dispatches were prepared,
which were signed by all the judges of the royal audience, excepting
Ortiz de Zarate, who refused his concurrence. Alvarez went by land to
Guavra, to which place the viceroy was transported in one of the barks
fitted out by Diego Garcias, and given into the custody of Alvarez, who
immediately set sail with three ships that had been placed at his
disposal, without waiting even for the dispatches from his brother
judges. At this time, Vaca de Castro was carried back to the port of
Lima, still a prisoner.


SECTION IV.

_History of the usurpation of Gonzalo Pizarro, from the expulsion of the
Viceroy to his defeat and death_.


While the viceroy remained in the small island, as formerly mentioned,
Alfonso de Montemayor and those who had gone along with him to succour
Loyasa and Zavallos, returned to Lima, upon which the judges caused them
to be arrested and disarmed, ordering them, and several of the captains
who were attached to the viceroy, to be detained as prisoners in the
house of Martin de Robles, and in the houses of several of the citizens
of Lima. These prisoners were persuaded, if the viceroy could regain his
liberty, that he would still be able to prevent the arrival of Gonzalo
Pizarro at Lima, and to avert the disorders and evils which must flow
from his successful usurpation, prejudicial to the rights of the crown
and the interest of the colony. With this view, therefore, they
concerted to unite together under arms, to bring back the viceroy from
the place of his confinement, and to reinstate him in his authority;
resolving in the execution of this project, to make the judges
prisoners, or even to kill them if necessary, and to take possession of
the city in the name of his majesty. They had assuredly executed their
project, had they not been betrayed by a soldier, who discovered the
whole plot to Cepeda. Immediately on receiving notice of this
conspiracy, Cepeda in concert with the other judges apprehended all the
leaders, namely Alfonso de Montemayor, Paolo de Meneses, Alfonso de
Caceres, Alfonso de Barrionuevo, and some others. Several of these when
put to the torture, had sufficient resolution to refuse confession; but
Barrionuevo confessed partly, in hopes of satisfying the judges, and
that they might not continue his torments. Upon his confession, he was
at first condemned to lose his head; but in the sequel the judges
satisfied themselves with causing his right hand to be cut off; and all
the other leaders of the conspiracy, who persisted in refusing to
confess, were banished from Peru.

After all these revolutionary events, information of every thing that
had occurred in Lima, was transmitted to Gonzalo Pizarro, the judges and
their friends being in hopes that, he would now be induced to dismiss
his army. They were however quite mistaken in this expectation; for he
believed that every thing, even the imprisonment of the viceroy, was a
false rumour, or a mere concerted trick to force him to lay down his
arms, and that they would put him to death when left without support.

In the mean time the licentiate Alvarez, as already mentioned, set sail
from Guavra having charge of the viceroy and his brothers.
Notwithstanding that this judge had been the chief promoter of every
thing that had been done against the viceroy, having even especially
contributed to make him a prisoner, and been most active in punishing
those who had conspired to restore him to the government; yet, on the
very first day of the voyage, he went into the cabin which had been
appointed for the captive viceroy, declaring his repentance for all that
he had done against him, and his earnest desire for a reconcilement. He
assured him, that, in accepting the charge of his conveyance as a
prisoner, he had been entirely actuated by the desire of serving him,
that he might get him from under the power of Cepeda, and prevent him
from falling into the hands of Gonzalo Pizarro, who was expected to
arrive shortly at Lima. To satisfy the viceroy of his sincerity, Alvarez
assured him that he was from that moment at full and perfect liberty,
and that he now surrendered the command of the vessel into his hands;
humbly beseeching him to forgive all that was passed, and declaring
himself ready to obey his commands in all things. Alvarez then gave
orders to the ten men who had been given him as guards over the viceroy,
that they were now to obey the viceroy and not him. The viceroy
expressed his entire satisfaction at this conduct in Alvarez, and took
the command accordingly; yet in a very short time he treated Alvarez
very ill, often calling him villain, traitor, mutineer, and other
opprobrious names, and threatening that, though he spared his life for
the present because he had occasion for his service, he would certainly
have him hanged in the sequel. Yet they continued together till their
arrival at Truxillo, as shall be related in the sequel.

It was soon suspected at Lima that Alvarez had entered into terms with
the viceroy, from certain circumstances which had transpired before he
embarked, but more especially from his having set sail without waiting
for the dispatches of the royal court of audience, which had been
delayed a day in waiting for the consent of Ortiz. While they were still
in some degree of uncertainty on this subject, and waiting anxiously to
know the whole truth, they judged proper to send a representation on
the state of affairs to Gonzalo Pizarro, of which the following was the
tenor. "That, in consequence of their commissions, and of the express
powers confided to them by his majesty of doing every thing which might
be necessary for the due administration of justice, and to place the
country in good order, they had suspended the execution of the obnoxious
regulations, as demanded by the colonists, and had even sent off the
viceroy to Spain, which was more than had been required or could have
been reasonably asked. As, therefore, there now remained no call or
pretence for the military preparations which he had set on foot, they
commanded him immediately to dismiss his troops: But, if he were
inclined to come to Lima, he must come there as a man of peace, without
warlike array; yet, if he considered it necessary to his safety to have
an escort, they granted him permission to bring fifteen or twenty
horsemen along with him."

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