Among those things which Don Francisco Pizarro had solicited from his majesty in reward for his services in the discovery and conquest of Peru, he particularly requested the grant in perpetuity to him and his descendants of twenty thousand Indians in a province named Atabillos188, with all the revenues, imposts, rights, and jurisdictions appertaining to them, together with the title of Marquis of that province. The king gave him the title of Marquis according to his desire; but in regard to the grant of Indians which he solicited, answered, that he must in the first place be better informed of the nature and circumstances of the country and its native institutions, before he could determine on that measure, but that Pizarro might rest assured of having every reasonable concession in his favour.
On receiving information of the insurrection of the Peruvians around Cuzco under Manco Capac, Francisco Pizarro, now Marquis, sent several detachments of troops to the assistance of his brother Ferdinand at Cuzco, sometimes ten or fifteen only together, according as circumstances or convenience occurred, not believing the state of affairs to be so hazardous as it was in reality189. The Peruvians having accurate information of the march of these detachments, occupied the difficult passes of the mountains with parties of warriors, and succeeded on several occasions to defeat these small bodies, most of whom were slain. One considerable reinforcement of seventy horsemen, was sent by the Marquis from Truxillo and San Miguel under the command of Diego Pizarro, who was waylaid by the Peruvians at a difficult pass called the mountain of Parios, about fifty leagues from Cuzco, where he and his men were all slain. One Gonzalo de Tapia, who was brother-in-law to the Marquis, who went with a body of eighty horsemen, was likewise defeated and slain; and two other captains, named Morgoveio and Gaete, while endeavouring to pass the mountains to the relief of Cuzco, were treated in the same manner. Of all these different detachments, scarcely one man escaped, so that those who followed knew nothing of what happened to those who went before them. The enemy always attacked the Spaniards while engaged in marching through some deep and narrow valley among the mountains, occupying both ends of the valley by strong bodies of warriors, and rolling down great stones and masses of rock from the steep and high mountains on both sides of the valley, destroyed our men and horses in a miserable manner, often without fighting. In this way they at different times destroyed more than three hundred soldiers, and made themselves masters of their arms, besides acquiring considerable and valuable plunder in gold and jewels and silk dresses. Not knowing the fate of the former detachments, Francisco de Godoy was sent with a reinforcement of eighty men; but falling in with two of those who had belonged to the detachment under Gaete, who had escaped, he learnt from them what had happened, on which he immediately endeavoured to retreat from the mountain passes, in which he had considerable difficulty, as the Indians had already occupied the defiles in his rear. He made good his retreat however, followed and harassed by the Indians for more than twenty leagues, sometimes attacking him in the rear and at other times in the van, and at length got safe to Lima with much difficulty. About the same time the captain Diego de Aguero arrived at that place with some other Spaniards, who had saved themselves from the Indians, who had endeavoured to massacre them at their country residences.
The marquis sent Pedro de Lerma at the head of eighty cavalry to drive away a numerous army of Peruvian warriors who had invaded the lower country in pursuit of Aguero. Lerma fought against these troops of the Inca a whole day, and at last forced them to take refuge in a strong place among steep rocks, where the Spaniards surrounded them. In this battle, Lerma lost several of his teeth, and several of his men were wounded, but none killed. The Indians were so exceedingly crowded together among the rocks to which they had retired, that they were unable to use their arms, insomuch that the Spaniards might probably have put an end to the war on this occasion, if the marquis had not sent them an order to retire. On seeing the retreat of their enemies, the Indians returned thanks to their gods for their escape from so great danger, and took post on a high mountain near the city of Lima on the other side of the river, whence they harassed the Spaniards by frequent skirmishes and attacks. The commander of these Indians was named Tyzogopangui, who had along with him one of the brothers of the Inca, whom the marquis had sent along with Gaete190. While the Peruvians remained in the neighbourhood of Lima, skirmishing every day with the Spaniards, it often happened that the natives who were in the service of the Spaniards, who were called Yanacones, went during the day to their friends in the mountains, who gave them provisions, and returned at night to their masters.
As he was in a manner besieged by so large a force of the enemy in Lima, the marquis concluded that his brothers and all the other Spaniards in Cuzco had certainly been slain, and that the insurrection was so general that the inhabitants of Chili had likewise destroyed Almagro and his army. In this emergency, both that his Spaniards might not expect to save themselves by sea, and to convince the Peruvians that he had no intention to leave the country, he sent off all his ships to Panama. At the same time he sent notice to the Viceroy of New Spain and all the other governors in America and the West Indies of the perilous state of affairs in Peru, intreating them to send him assistance. In these letters, he is said not to have shewn his usual firmness, and it is reported that this was occasioned by the earnest solicitations of many of those around him. He sent orders at the same time to the commandant of Truxillo to abandon that place, and to come to his assistance with all the armed men and horses he could collect, sending off the women and children and all their valuable effects to the province of Tierra firma. But before the execution of these orders, the captain Alfonso de Alvarado arrived at Truxillo with the troops he had taken along with him for the conquest of the province of the Chachapoyas, whence he had been recalled by orders from the marquis. Leaving a part of his troops for the defence of Truxillo, Alvarado marched with the rest to Lima, where the marquis appointed him lieutenant-general of his army, in place of Don Pedro de Lerma, who had hitherto enjoyed that office. This gave great offence to Lerma, and was the occasion of his revolt, as shall be mentioned in the sequel.
As the marquis was now reinforced by a considerable number of troops, he thought himself in condition to send assistance to those parts which were in greatest danger, and detached therefore Alfonso Alvarado with three hundred horse and foot, who pillaged several districts with very little resistance from the Indians. But about four leagues from the city of Pachacamac, he was violently attacked by the Indians, whom he defeated with considerable slaughter; after which he continued his march towards Cuzco. On this march the army of Alvarado suffered great hardships in passing across a large extent of desert country, five hundred Indians who attended as servants perishing of thirst; and it is said that all the Spanish infantry must have died of thirst and fatigue, if they had not been relieved by the activity of the cavalry in bringing them water from a distance. After reaching the province of Jauja, Alvarado was joined by Gomez de Tordoya with two hundred horse and foot, who had been sent after him. His force being augmented to five hundred men by this reinforcement, Alvarado proceeded to the bridge of Lumichaca, where he was surrounded by a numerous army of hostile Indians. Having defeated these in battle, he continued his march to the bridge of Abancay191, continually harassed by the Indians. At that place he learned that Ferdinand and Gonzalo Pizarro had been imprisoned by Almagro, who had taken possession of Cuzco; on which he resolved to halt where he then was till he might receive precise orders from the marquis for his farther proceedings.
When Almagro was informed of the arrival of Alfonso Alvarado at Abancay, he sent Diego Alvarado to wait upon him, attended by seven or eight horsemen, with orders to notify his commission as governor in these parts. Alfonso, after examining the commission, declared that he did not consider himself competent to decide upon an affair of such high importance, and that the documents ought to be communicated to the marquis. Almagro had come part of the way from Cuzco towards the camp of Alvarado, where he waited the return of his messenger; and not seeing him at the time he expected, he became afraid that Alvarado had detained him and might advance to Cuzco by another road. He returned therefore to Cuzco in all haste to provide for his defence. Learning the discontent of Lerma, on account of having been superseded in the command of the army by the marquis, and that he was disposed to come over to his side with eighty men, Almagro marched out from Cuzco with his troops a fortnight afterwards, and advanced towards the army of Alfonso Alvarado. While on the march, the advanced guard belonging to Almagro, by means of an ambush, made Pedro Alvarez Holguin prisoner, who had been sent out on discovery by Alvarado. On learning this circumstance, Alvarado meant to have arrested Pedro de Lerma, as he entertained suspicions that he was in correspondence with Almagro; but Lerma had previously escaped to the enemy, carrying along with him the signatures of all those who had joined him in the plot for deserting to Almagro.
189
The arrangement of Zarate is extremely faulty and confused, as he here recounts circumstances which preceeded the return of Almagro to Cuzco. We are here giving a translation of a original document; not endeavouring to write a history of the Conquest of Peru, and have not therefore authority to alter the arrangement of our author. –E.
190
Garcilasso names the Peruvian general Titu Yupanqui. The remainder of the sentence, respecting the brother of the Inca and Gaete, is quite unintelligible. I suspect it has been misunderstood by the French translator and ought to stand thus: "The commander of these Peruvians was Titu Yupanqui, a brother of the Inca, and the same person who had driven Gaete and others to take refuge in Lima."-E.
191
Abancay is a town on one of the branches of the Apurimac about 60 miles west from Cuzco. –E.