Blas Valera
Encyclopedia
Chachapoyas, Peru
In this part of Peru, located in the eyebrow of the jungle, the climate is subtropical highland, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cwb, with an average temperature of 18 °C and an average relative humidity of 74 percent. However, in some areas the temperature can drop to 2 °C....
in 1545.
Valera is considered to be the son of Luis Valera, one of the men who accompanied 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 the conquest of the Incan Empire. He established himself in this city since its foundation. The mother of this out-standing Chachapoyano
Chachapoyas, Peru
In this part of Peru, located in the eyebrow of the jungle, the climate is subtropical highland, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cwb, with an average temperature of 18 °C and an average relative humidity of 74 percent. However, in some areas the temperature can drop to 2 °C....
writer was Francisca Pérez, a native who had taken this name after being baptized.
The circumstance that he was born in 1545, less than 20 years of the fall of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
, allowed him to meet many of its prominent men and also old amautas, that transmitted and entrusted him the events that he later narrated in his works.
He did his first studies in Trujillo and then continued them in Lima. Considering his knowledge of Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
, he took part in the missions that Jesuits had established in Huarochirí, an important pre-Hispanic center of worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
that at the beginning of the 17th century was the location of the most intense eradication campaign of idolatry, carried out by Francisco de Ávila
Francisco de Avila
Francisco de Avila was a South American priest and early student of native customs.Curate or vicar in the province of Huarochiri of Peru, later curate at Huánaco, finally Canon of the Church of La Plata , in Bolivia...
.
He took an active part in the III Concilio Limense of 1583. Father Valera died in Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, Spain in 1597.
The Priest
His priestly vocation made him travelled to LimaLima
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...
when he was still a teenager. When he was 17, he joined the Compañía de Jesús (Society of Jesus), where he gave excessive samples of his top intelligence since he began his priestly studies.
But at the same time he was preparing for the religious ministry, his love for the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian history was also growing and, in his insistence of knowing about Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian past better, he devoted himself to the study of native languages
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
. He became the biggest authority of his time in this subject.
This skill made that people entrusted him missions in which his linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
knowledge was necessary, which simultaneously allowed him to keep on increasing his data gathering, collecting information from the authentic sources of all the places he was visiting.
Valera was a special case in those times: a bilingual mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
and well-educated. He was entrusted with the compilation of news from the pre-Hispanic civilization, but the suspicions that his sympathies towards the Inca culture
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
raised made that the Compañía closed the access of mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s in the order
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
and they supposed a negative opinion of him.
Because of his knowledge of native languages
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
, he was a valuable collaborator of father José de Acosta
José de Acosta
José de Acosta was a Spanish 16th-century Jesuit missionary and naturalist in Latin America.-Life:...
, who prepared the first catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
s in Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
and Aymara
Aymara language
Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia...
. These catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
s deserved the approval of Toribio de Mogrovejo.
On the other hand, there are evidences that Valera was accused of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
because he include some favourable comments to the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
. He was shut in by the Jesuits for a brief period.
Family
Father- Luis Valera was a Spanish conquistadorConquistadorConquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
born of Bartolome Garcia Roman and Catalina Hernandez in the small town of Aracena in western Andalucia. - He left for the new world on April 28, 1534, leaving his wife Catalina Rodriguez de Aldana, a noblewoman, in Spain. He would later ask her to rjoin him in the new world 25 years later, and she did so in 1559.
- It is likely that he was a trusted companion of Francisco Pizzaro during the conquest, and was loyal to him during the fight with Diego de AlmagroDiego de AlmagroDiego 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...
. - He later served as a captain of crossbowmen under one of Pizzaro's lieutenants, Alonso de Alvarado in 1538.
- After his service, Alvarado granted Valera the encomiendas of Chibalta and Tiapullu, where he mainly raised livestock for sale in Santiago.
- He was regional leader and served on the cabildoCabildo (council)For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
, or city council of the region
Mother
- A native PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian who was most likely of Inca ancestry who is known by the Christian name Francisca Perez. - She may have been an Inca princess in the court of the late Inca emperor AtahualpaAtahualpaAtahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last Sapa Inca or sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire, prior to the Spanish conquest of Peru...
, or possibly related to the former governor of Chachapoyas region named Cayo Tupac Rimachi.. Details of her are still relatively unknown, but she either died or left Luis when her son Blas was 15.
Brother
- Jeronimo Valera was born eleven years after his brother Blas Valera in the Nieva region of Chachapoyas in the late 1550s. He traveled to Spain as a young child but returned in September 1559.
- He was raised by Catalina Rodriguez, the fist wife of Luis Valera.
- He studied at the Jesuit College of San Martin in Lima, and became a Jesuit on February 25, 1580.
- He made a transition to the FranciscanFranciscanMost Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
order on August 21, 1588 mainly due to his brother's problems with the Spanish InquisitionSpanish InquisitionThe Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
. - He later taught theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and became an inquisition judge
The writer
Luckily this man, who had the opportunity to know people who were able to provide very valuable information to him, was provided with a remarkable talent that distinguished him from his very early studies. Since he was a very young man, he could realize how important was, for the PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian history, to compile data information about the great Inca culture
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
, which was already becoming extinct as fast as the western culture was imposing in this country.
All his works were written in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and, according to his critics, they were written in an elegant, neat and clean style. He narrated events of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian past with a rigorous critical sense, accepting only the events that were supported by irrefutable evidence. This fact has given the authority to his writings that Garcilaso
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
recognized in them. Many other historians have coincided with Garcilaso
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
's judgment later. Some of them also believed that in other chroniclers' works, there are plagiarisms of the work of this venerable Jesuit and even the clandestine use of unpublished documents that he could not release.
In 1595, being in Spain, Valera lost valuable writings in the plundering of Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
made by the Englishmen. Some of them were acquired later by Garcilaso
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
, who relates that they were provided him by the Jesuit Pedro Maldonado. Maldonado saved the documents, and even though they were burnt and mistreated, Garcilaso
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
thought that they were a valuable source of information with more authenticity and credibility than any other chronicler of the epoch.
Occupational Achievements
During Blas Valera's lifetime he had many important jobs and roles throughout PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Spain. He is most famously known as being a member of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, also known as a Jesuit. He was a priest where he taught Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
teachings and performed many sacraments which included baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, marriage and extreme unction (last rites). He was also concerned with explaining Andean religion in Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
terms and he led spiritual discussions and communal prayer every Wednesday and Friday. Blas Valera was also a writer. He wrote many great works including the Quechua vocabulary Vocabulario Quechua and the Naples Documents. In many of Valera's documents is he known for defending the Andean society. Along with being a priest and a writer, Valera was also a teacher. He taught free Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
classes to the public and translated Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
religion into Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
. He also translated the Catholic Catechism into Quechua-Third Lima Council Bishops.
His works
Between his works, it can be quoted:- Vocabulario quechua (Quechua vocabulary)
The Vocabulario was one of Blas Valera's works which resembled an encyclopedia of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and the Incas. It references information on the history of the Incas. Citations from the document can be found in other writers’ works. For example, Giovanni Anello Oliva cited references from the Vocabulario of pre-Inca kings of Peru for his argument that there were Peruvian kings before the Incas. Anello Oliva also Valera's argument that Titu Atauchi, a full brother of Atahuallpa, led a force in the defeat over Spanish forces at the battle of Huamachuco. It also cites Atahuallpa which the Vocabulario gives high praise to and even argues he's a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
saint in heaven, displaying Valera's stance of Andean Christianity. The sources which he used when writing the Vocabulario and other works, do not fully reveal the amount of knowledge he obtained about the native history. Much of the information he used Valera acquired through memories, quipus, and written texts of native elites in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, which also have been mostly lost except for information contained in his works. Much of the information contained in the Vocabulario has been lost, and the information which has not, has been used for citing other historians’ arguments about the history of the Incas and the Andean civilization.
- Historia de los Incas (History of the Incas)
The Miccinelli Documents
Blas Valera (1544–1597) was a distinguished member of the Jesuit missionaries in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. He was admired for his knowledge of the Andean language, and renowned for his collaboration in the translation of the official catechism of the Third Lima Council (1582–1583) into Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
and Aymara
Aymara language
Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia...
. However, in 1583 this storyteller of the Incas, due to unknown reasons, faced rejection from his people, was imprisoned for three years, and later deported from Spain where he supposedly died in 1597.
However, Blas Valera remained an ambiguous character of history until the early 1990s in which a group of Italian researchers led by Laura Laurencich Minelli discovered a set of documents owned by a private collector in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, which included Valera's writings; yet, with the discovery of these documents, questions to the accuracy of Valera's life arouse. Controversially, one of the writings found in the Naples documents was dated after Valera's supposed death in 1597. This erratum of dates led to the assumptions of different versions of the truth. The documents stated that Valera was secretly condemned by his order for his radical pro-Incan beliefs, and especially for his claim that Incan religion was equivalent to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. There is a version in the documents that assures that after having faked his death, Valera returned to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
where he wrote the famous Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno (New chronicle and good government), which has been attributed to the native writer Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala , also known as Guamán Poma or Huamán Poma, was an indigenous Peruvian who became disillusioned with the treatment of the native peoples of the Andes by the Spanish after conquest...
.
The revelation of the "Naples documents", has led to controversial disputes among scholars as to how these documents should be evaluated. Many Andeanists consider the manuscript as forgeries fabricated by the owner Clara Miccinelli and her friend Carlo Animato and argue that the content of these documents cannot be taken literal. Likewise, Francesa Cantú, from the Universitá di Roma, and Maurizio Gnerre, from the Instituto Universitario Orientale, also found documents in public archives in Italy that connect with aspects of the story found in the Naples documents. Likewise, these two scholars have also been accused of manufacturing false documentation. Moreover, many Peruvians argue that the Naples documents were forged by Jesuit followers of Valera after his death in order to express political opinions, which would otherwise be censured by Society. Those pertaining to this chain of thought, also argue that Valera did not write Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno. Lastly, there are those who believe that the Naples documents are authentic and true regarding his fake death and life.
In addition, the discovery of the Naples documents not only raises questions with regards to Valera's life, but also raises assumptions that the Incas had a secret, phonetic writing system and that the writings in Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno are evidence of indigenous resistance to Spanish domination. Valera's discrete crimes show an attachment to his people, his radical condemnation of the Spanish conquest, and his belief that the Incas understood the key Christian truths. The Naples Documents also talk about Quipu
Quipu
Quipus or khipus were recording devices used in the Inca Empire and its predecessor societies in the Andean region. A quipu usually consisted of colored, spun, and plied thread or strings from llama or alpaca hair. It could also be made of cotton cords...
writing, which is supposed to be a phonetic form of language that supposedly was used by the Incas, if this is true, many of the secrets and ambiguities from the colonial Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
would be solved.
Controversy about his life and works
Lately a few supposed new information on Blas Valera's biography have started to circulate. The most controversial one talks about "Nueva Crónica y Buen GobiernoNueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno
El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno , is a Peruvian chronicle finished around 1615. Its author, the indigenous Peruvian Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, sent it as a handwritten manuscript to King Philip III of Spain...
" (A new Chronic and a Good Government), of Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala , also known as Guamán Poma or Huamán Poma, was an indigenous Peruvian who became disillusioned with the treatment of the native peoples of the Andes by the Spanish after conquest...
. According to specialist Laura Laurencich Minelli, there are three sheets of paper with drawings in the "Historia et Rudimenta Linguae Piruanorum" that have the signature of an "Italian Jesuit", Blas Valera. According to Minelli, these drawings were made before 1618, that is to say, some years after the official death of Valera.
Apparently, the objective of Valera in Europe was to tell the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
the truth about the conquest of Peru
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....
made by 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:...
, who would have poisoned Atahualpa
Atahualpa
Atahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last Sapa Inca or sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire, prior to the Spanish conquest of Peru...
's soldiers with a mixture of arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. This fact was told to Valera by another conqueror, his own father, Luis Valera. The general of the Compañía, Claudio Aquaviva, didn't agree with Valera's intentions, for this reason he was declared a dead person and was exiled. He went to Spain, where he supposedly shared part of his works with the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
.
Later, it is said that Valera returned to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
secretly with the intention of publishing his version of the Peruvian conquest
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....
. he got in touch with other two Jesuits: Joan Antonio Cumis and Joan Anello Oliva. To carry out their intention, the three of them had to hide the identity of the real author, so they used the name of Huaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala , also known as Guamán Poma or Huamán Poma, was an indigenous Peruvian who became disillusioned with the treatment of the native peoples of the Andes by the Spanish after conquest...
. When he carried out his assignment, Blas Valera would have returned to Spain in 1618, where he supposedly died a little time later.
The enigma of knowing who was the real writer of "Nueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno
Nueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno
El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno , is a Peruvian chronicle finished around 1615. Its author, the indigenous Peruvian Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, sent it as a handwritten manuscript to King Philip III of Spain...
" and also about the biographical mess of Blas Valera have not still been solved.
Exile
One of the major controversaries about Blas Valera was the dates in which he was in prison, and when he was in exile. While many believe that Blas Valera was constantly in prison, there were times that it HylandHyland
Hyland is a Scottish and English topographic name meaning "high land". For someone who lived on high ground or by land where hay was grown, from Middle English hegh, hie ‘high’ or heye ‘hay’ + land ‘land’....
proved Valera was in exile by the Jesuits, south of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. After he was arrested by the Jesuits with the accuse of fortification, he was sent secretly to exile by the Spanish government. While in exile is believed that Valera taught the Quechan
Quechan
The Quechan are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the border with Mexico...
language to the Jesuits, so the Jesuits were able to communicate with the Incas, and understand what they were saying with the Quipus.
Imprisonment
Blas Valera entered his underground prison cell in April 1583 on charges of fornication brought on by General Aquaviva. Valera's sentence started with four years in prison, followed by a follow up hearing. During this four-year stay in prison, Valera suffered forced fasting, prayer and weekly mortification. After the four years had passed, the Jesuits offered Valera a chance to leave the society. He of course rejected the offer and continued to claim innocence. As a result, the Jesuits sentenced him to six years of house arrest. Due to the horrible conditions in prison, Valera had grown very ill. He requested to be sent back to Spain to recover and get away. The Jesuits approved his request, and exiled him to Spain in 1594. Blas Valera died in Spain in 1597. The controversy of Valera's imprisonment comes from the actual crime he committed against the society. According to the Jesuits, after Valera's appointment to professor of grammar in PotosíPotosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
, Aquavia sent a letter of concern to the society about Valera in February 1583. The contents of this letter are secret, but historians suspect it dealt with Valera's teachings. Following this letter, in April 1583 the society brought charges of fornication
Fornication
Fornication typically refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. For many people, the term carries a moral or religious association, but the significance of sexual acts to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. The...
and found him guilty. The fornication
Fornication
Fornication typically refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. For many people, the term carries a moral or religious association, but the significance of sexual acts to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. The...
supposedly took place with one of Valera's female students. The Naples Documents show another story untold by the Jesuits. According to the documents, Valera's writings on Inca religion and potential heretical techniques had caused the society to take action against him. No evidence has ever been uncovered to prove either of these indictments brought against Valera.
Death
After being exiled from PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Valera arrived in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in 1596. Valera continued a peaceful life until later on that year pirate Robert Devereux
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
invaded Cadiz beating local priests. Valera at the age of 53 was mortally wounded and would die on April 2, 1597.
However, some argue Valera's death in Cadiz was faked and he came back to Peru to complete other works. Anello Oliva wrote about Valera's faked death in the Historia et Rudimenta. Apparently, Valera was given a choice to leave the Jesuits or fake his own death. Not wanting to leave the Jesuit society, Valera faked his own death in Cadiz 1596, after Devereux roamed the city beating priests. Valera left Cadiz and headed back to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in June 1598, where he resided with a group of natives in Cuzco. It is believed Valera wrote the Nueva coronica y buen gobierno at the age of sixty-six. Valera's work was attributed to Guaman Poma, since Valera was supposedly dead. If Valera secretly wrote the Nueva about Andean life, this will change modern understanding of the Incas and early colonial life in Peru.
Anello Oliva argues that Valera contributed to writings in the Naples Documents, but some believe that Anello Oliva used Valera's name as a means to respect the dead Valera and publish anti-Spanish beliefs that were forbidden at the time. But, there is not sufficient evidence to prove or falsify Valera's faked death.