Battle of Jaquijahuana
Encyclopedia
After the successful Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
, the assassination of Francisco Pizarro
in 1541, and the execution of his main antagonist, Diego de Almagro
(1538) and his son, El Mozo (1542), most of the competent commanders of the recently founded New Castile Governorate had been lost in the ensuing power struggle. In 1540, second in line of the Pizarro brothers
, Hernando Pizarro
, returned to Spain
to defend the question of his and his brothers' reign in Peru against accusations of abuse of power. He was eventually imprisoned on orders of King Charles. The Almagristas, followers of Diego de Almagro, met their downfall in the battle of Chupas
on September 16, 1542. Two years later, King Charles eventually sent his own envoy, Blasco Núñez Vela
, as governor over the recently found Viceroyalty of Peru
, and as well to ensure the accomplishment of the New Laws
enacted in 1542 to protect the native Peruvian
population of Peru.
Gonzalo Pizarro
, however, refused to relinquish power and the sovereignty over Peru once belonging to him and his brothers. With his namesake as an ensuring symbol of the former reign of the Pizarros, he gathered supporters, mainly opposed by formal governor of New Castile, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
, victor at Chupas
over the Almagristas. The Viceroy arrived at Lima
, new capital of Peru, and was sworn into office on May 17, 1544. He shortly after had Castro imprisoned and sent home to Spain. On September 18, Gonzalo Pizarro managed to depose Blasco Núñez Vela and sent him as prisoner to Panama
. On October 28, the 1,200 men strong army of Gonzalo Pizarro entered Lima. Upon arrival to Panama, however, Vela was released, and returned to Peru with royal claims as the rightful viceroy and governor of Peru, landing in Tumbes. The two gathered supporters and met on January 18, 1546 at Añaquito
in present-day Ecuador
, superiority in numbers and firepower ensured victory for Gonzalo Pizarro, who crushed the army of Blasco Núñez Vela, who was decapitated on the field of battle. This, in its turn, ensured a struggle for the control of Peru between Gonzalo Pizarro and the royal forces.
The king then appointed Pedro de la Gasca
as new governor of Peru; meanwhile, the land itself fell under control by Gonzalo Pizarro and his forces. De la Gasca landed in Peru in 1547, winning supporters to his initially inferior forces by promising amnesty to those having committed treason to the crown, and proclaimed he would not enforce the New Laws, a keepsake that had entrusted Gonzalo Pizarro a number of loyal supporters.
After initial skirmishes, the two forces went close to a confrontation in late 1547 at Xaguijagana plains, but de la Gasca succeeded in avoiding battle and winning the case of several other officers of Gonzalo Pizarro, among them the recognizable Alonso de Alvarado
. Ultimately, a battle ensuring the definite control of Peru was unavoidable, and the two armies finally met close to Sacsahuana, on Spanish dubbed Jaquijahuana, near Cuzco. In the battle itself, Gonzalo's forces were at this time gravely inferior and were slaughtered on field of battle, with almost none of de la Gasca's forces killed. Gonzalo himself, along with his most loyal commander, Francisco de Carvajal
, dubbed the Deamon of the Andes, were captured on field of battle and executed by beheading. De la Gasca then made efforts to solidate his control over Peru, which remained a royal colony and viceroyalty until the revolutionary actions of Simón Bolívar
during early 19th century.
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. This historic process of military conquest was made by Spanish conquistadores and their native allies....
, the assassination of Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
in 1541, and the execution of his main antagonist, Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro, , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro. He participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru and is credited as the first European discoverer of Chile.Almagro lost his left eye battling with coastal...
(1538) and his son, El Mozo (1542), most of the competent commanders of the recently founded New Castile Governorate had been lost in the ensuing power struggle. In 1540, second in line of the Pizarro brothers
Pizarro brothers
The Pizarro brothers were Spanish conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532. They all were born in Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain.The four brothers were:* Francisco Pizarro * Gonzalo Pizarro * Juan Pizarro * Hernándo Pizarro The Pizarro brothers were Spanish conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532. They...
, Hernando Pizarro
Hernándo Pizarro
Hernando Pizarro y de Vargas was a Spanish conquistador and one of the Pizarro brothers who ruled over Peru...
, returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to defend the question of his and his brothers' reign in Peru against accusations of abuse of power. He was eventually imprisoned on orders of King Charles. The Almagristas, followers of Diego de Almagro, met their downfall in the battle of Chupas
Battle of Chupas
After the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, in retaliation for his father's execution in 1538, Diego de Almagro II, El Mozo, continued to press claims as the rightful ruler of Peru and as leader of his father's supporters...
on September 16, 1542. Two years later, King Charles eventually sent his own envoy, Blasco Núñez Vela
Blasco Núñez Vela
Blasco Núñez Vela y Villalba was the first Spanish viceroy of Peru, from May 15, 1544 to January 18, 1546. He was charged by King Charles I with the enforcement of the controversial New Laws, which dealt with the failure of the encomienda system to protect the indigenous people of America from the...
, as governor over the recently found Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
, and as well to ensure the accomplishment of the New Laws
New Laws
The New Laws, in Spanish Leyes Nuevas, issued November 20, 1542 by King Charles V of Spain regarding the Spanish colonization of the Americas, are also known as the "New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians", and were created to prevent the exploitation of the...
enacted in 1542 to protect the native Peruvian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
population of Peru.
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
, however, refused to relinquish power and the sovereignty over Peru once belonging to him and his brothers. With his namesake as an ensuring symbol of the former reign of the Pizarros, he gathered supporters, mainly opposed by formal governor of New Castile, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro was a Spanish colonial administrator in Peru.-Background:...
, victor at Chupas
Battle of Chupas
After the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, in retaliation for his father's execution in 1538, Diego de Almagro II, El Mozo, continued to press claims as the rightful ruler of Peru and as leader of his father's supporters...
over the Almagristas. The Viceroy arrived at Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, new capital of Peru, and was sworn into office on May 17, 1544. He shortly after had Castro imprisoned and sent home to Spain. On September 18, Gonzalo Pizarro managed to depose Blasco Núñez Vela and sent him as prisoner to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. On October 28, the 1,200 men strong army of Gonzalo Pizarro entered Lima. Upon arrival to Panama, however, Vela was released, and returned to Peru with royal claims as the rightful viceroy and governor of Peru, landing in Tumbes. The two gathered supporters and met on January 18, 1546 at Añaquito
Battle of Añaquito
After his unheard claims as governor of New Castile following the death of his brother, Gonzalo Pizarro pressed claims to be recognized as the ruler of the land he and his brothers had conquered. After the arrival of appointed royal viceroy Blasco Núñez Vela in 1544, Gonzalo succeeded to have him...
in present-day Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, superiority in numbers and firepower ensured victory for Gonzalo Pizarro, who crushed the army of Blasco Núñez Vela, who was decapitated on the field of battle. This, in its turn, ensured a struggle for the control of Peru between Gonzalo Pizarro and the royal forces.
The king then appointed Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca was a Spanish bishop, diplomat and the second viceroy of Peru, from April 10, 1547 to January 27, 1550....
as new governor of Peru; meanwhile, the land itself fell under control by Gonzalo Pizarro and his forces. De la Gasca landed in Peru in 1547, winning supporters to his initially inferior forces by promising amnesty to those having committed treason to the crown, and proclaimed he would not enforce the New Laws, a keepsake that had entrusted Gonzalo Pizarro a number of loyal supporters.
After initial skirmishes, the two forces went close to a confrontation in late 1547 at Xaguijagana plains, but de la Gasca succeeded in avoiding battle and winning the case of several other officers of Gonzalo Pizarro, among them the recognizable Alonso de Alvarado
Alonso de Alvarado
Alonso de Alvarado Montaya González de Cevallos y Miranda was a Spanish conquistador and knight of the Order of Santiago. After a period in Mexico under the orders of Hernán Cortés, he then joined the campaign of Francisco Pizarro.He went to Peru with Pedro de Alvarado in search of gold in 1534...
. Ultimately, a battle ensuring the definite control of Peru was unavoidable, and the two armies finally met close to Sacsahuana, on Spanish dubbed Jaquijahuana, near Cuzco. In the battle itself, Gonzalo's forces were at this time gravely inferior and were slaughtered on field of battle, with almost none of de la Gasca's forces killed. Gonzalo himself, along with his most loyal commander, Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal was a Spanish military officer, conquistador, and explorer remembered as "the demon of the Andes" due to his brutality and uncanny military skill in the Peruvian civil wars of the 16th century....
, dubbed the Deamon of the Andes, were captured on field of battle and executed by beheading. De la Gasca then made efforts to solidate his control over Peru, which remained a royal colony and viceroyalty until the revolutionary actions of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
during early 19th century.