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34 chapters
Chapter I
Chapter I
Physical Aspect Of The Country. - Sources Of Peruvian Civilization. - Empire Of The Incas. - Royal Family. - Nobility. Of the numerous nations which occupied the great American continent at the time of its discovery by the Europeans, the two most advanced in power and refinement were undoubtedly those of Mexico and Peru. But, though resembling one another in extent of civilization, they differed widely as to the nature of it; and the philosophical student of his species may feel a natural curios
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Chapter II
Chapter II
Orders Of The State. - Provisions For Justice. - Division Of Lands. - Revenues And Registers. - Great Roads And Posts. - Military Tactics And Policy. If we are surprised at the peculiar and original features of what may be called the Peruvian aristocracy, we shall be still more so as we descend to the lower orders of the community, and see the very artificial character of their institutions, - as artificial as those of ancient Sparta, and, though in a different way, quite as repugnant to the ess
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Chapter III
Chapter III
Peruvian Religion. - Deities. - Gorgeous Temples. - Festivals. - Virgins Of The Sun. - Marriage. It is a remarkable fact, that many, if not most, of the rude tribes inhabiting the vast American continent, however disfigured their creeds may have been in other respects by a childish superstition, had attained to the sublime conception of one Great Spirit, the Creator of the Universe, who, immaterial in his own nature, was not to be dishonored by an attempt at visible representation, and who, perv
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV
Education. - Quipus. - Astronomy. - Agriculture. - Aqueducts. - Guano. - Important Esculents. "Science was not intended for the people; but for those of generous blood. Persons of low degree are only puffed up by it, and rendered vain and arrogant. Neither should such meddle with the affairs of government; for this would bring high offices into disrepute, and cause detriment to the state." *1 Such was the favorite maxim, often repeated, of Tupac Inca Yupanqi, one of the most renowned of the Peru
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Chapter V
Chapter V
Peruvian Sheep. - Great Hunts. - Manufactures. - Mechanical Skill. - Architecture. - Concluding Reflections. A nation which had made such progress in agriculture might be reasonably expected to have made, also, some proficiency in the mechanical arts, - especially when, as in the case of the Peruvians, their agricultural economy demanded in itself no inconsiderable degree of mechanical skill. Among most nations, progress in manufactures has been found to have an intimate connection with the prog
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Book II: Discovery Of Peru Chapter I
Book II: Discovery Of Peru Chapter I
Ancient And Modern Science. - Art Of Navigation. - Maritime Discovery. - Spirit Of The Spaniards. - Possessions In The New World. - Rumors Concerning Peru. Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the comparative merit of the ancients and the moderns in the arts, in poetry, eloquence, and all that depends on imagination, there can be no doubt that in science the moderns have eminently the advantage. It could not be otherwise. In the early ages of the world, as in the early period of life,
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Chapter II
Chapter II
Francisco Pizarro. - His Early History. - First Expedition To The South. - Distresses Of The Voyagers. - Sharp Encounters. - Return To Panama. - Almagro's Expedition. 1524-1525. Francisco Pizarro was born at Truxillo, a city of Estremadura, in Spain. The period of his birth is uncertain; but probably it was not far from 1471. *1 He was an illegitimate child, and that his parents should not have taken pains to perpetuate the date of his birth is not surprising. Few care to make a particular recor
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Chapter III
Chapter III
The Famous Contract. - Second Expedition. - Ruiz Explores The Coast. - Pizarro's Sufferings In The Forests. - Arrival Of New Recruits. - Fresh Discoveries And Disasters. - Pizarro On The Isle Of Gallo. 1526-1527. On his arrival at Panama, Almagro found that events had taken a turn less favorable to his views than he had anticipated. Pedrarias, the governor, was preparing to lead an expedition in person against a rebellious officer in Nicaragua; and his temper, naturally not the most amiable, was
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV
Indignation Of The Governor. - Stern Resolution Of Pizarro. - Prosecution Of The Voyage. - Brilliant Aspect Of Tumbez. - Discoveries Along The Coast. - Return To Panama. - Pizarro Embarks For Spain. 1527-1528. Not long after Almagro's departure, Pizarro sent off the remaining vessel, under the pretext of its being put in repair at Panama. It probably relieved him of a part of his followers, whose mutinous spirit made them an obstacle rather than a help in his forlorn condition, and with whom he
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Book III: Conquest Of Peru Chapter I
Book III: Conquest Of Peru Chapter I
Pizarro's Reception At Court. - His Capitulation With The Crown. - He Visits His Birthplace. - Returns To The New World. - Difficulties With Almagro. - His Third Expedition. - Adventures On The Coast. - Battles In The Isle Of Puna. 1528-1531. Pizarro and his officer, having crossed the Isthmus, embarked at Nombre de Dios for the old country, and, after a good passage, reached Seville early in the summer of 1528. There happened to be at that time in port a person well known in the history of Span
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Chapter II
Chapter II
Peru At The Time Of The Conquest. - Reign Of Huayna Capac. - The Inca Brothers. - Contest For The Empire. - Triumph And Cruelties Of Atahuallpa. Before accompanying the march of Pizarro and his followers into the country of the Incas, it is necessary to make the reader acquainted with the critical situation of the kingdom at that time. For the Spaniards arrived just at the consummation of an important revolution, - at a crisis most favorable to their views of conquest, and but for which, indeed,
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Chapter III
Chapter III
The Spaniards Land At Tumbez. - Pizarro Reconnoitres The Country. - Foundation Of San Miguel. - March Into The Interior. - Embassy From The Inca. - Adventures On The March - Reach The Foot Of The Andes. 1532. We left the Spaniards at the island of Puna, preparing to make their descent on the neighbouring continent at Tumbez. This port was but a few leagues distant, and Pizarro, with the greater part of his followers, passed over in the ships, while a few others were to transport the commander's
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV
Severe Passage Of The Andes. - Embassies From Atahuallpa. - The Spaniards Reach Caxamalca. - Embassy To The Inca. - Interview With The Inca. - Despondency Of The Spaniards 1532. That night Pizarro held a council of his principal officers, and it was determined that he should lead the advance, consisting of forty horse and sixty foot, and reconnoitre the ground; while the rest of the company, under his brother Hernando, should occupy their present position till they received further orders. At ea
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Chapter V
Chapter V
Desperate Plan Of Pizarro. - Atahuallpa Visits The Spaniards. - Horrible Massacre. - The Inca A Prisoner. - Conduct Of The Conquerors. - Splendid Promises Of The Inca - Death Of Huascar. 1532. The clouds of the evening had passed away, and the sun rose bright on the following morning, the most memorable epoch in the annals of Peru. It was Saturday, the sixteenth of November, 1532. The loud cry of the trumpet called the Spaniards to arms with the first streak of dawn; and Pizarro, briefly acquain
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Chapter VI
Chapter VI
Gold Arrives For The Ransom. - Visit To Pachacamac. - Demolition Of The Idol. - The Inca's Favorite General. - The Inca's Life In Confinement. - Envoy's Conduct In Cuzco. - Arrival Of Almagro. 1533. Several weeks had now passed since Atahuallpa's emissaries had been despatched for the gold and silver that were to furnish his ransom to the Spaniards. But the distances were great, and the returns came in slowly. They consisted, for the most part, of massive pieces of plate, some of which weighed t
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Chapter VII
Chapter VII
Immense Amount Of Treasure. - Its Division Among The Troops - Rumors Of A Rising. - Trial Of The Inca. - His Execution - Reflections. 1533. The arrival of Almagro produced a considerable change in Pizarro's prospects, since it enabled him to resume active operations, and push forward his conquests in the interior. The only obstacle in his way was the Inca's ransom, and the Spaniards had patiently waited, till the return of the emissaries from Cuzco swelled the treasure to a large amount, though
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Chapter VIII
Chapter VIII
Disorders In Peru. - March To Cuzco. - Encounter With The Natives. - Challcuchima Burnt. - Arrival In Cuzco. - Description Of The City. - Treasure Found There. 1533-1534. The Inca of Peru was its sovereign in a peculiar sense. He received an obedience from his vassals more implicit than that of any despot; for his authority reached to the most secret conduct, - to the thoughts of the individual. He was reverenced as more than human. *1 He was not merely the head of the state, but the point to wh
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Chapter IX
Chapter IX
New Inca Crowned. - Municipal Regulations. - Terrible March Of Alvarado. - Interview With Pizarro. - Foundation Of Lima. - Hernando Pizarro Reaches Spain. - Sensation At Court. - Feuds Of Almagro And The Pizarros. 1534-1535. The first care of the Spanish general, after the division of the booty, was to place Manco on the throne, and to obtain for him the recognition of his countrymen. He, accordingly, presented the young prince to them as their future sovereign, the legitimate son of Huayna Capa
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Chapter X
Chapter X
Escape Of The Inca. - Return Of Hernando Pizarro. - Rising Of The Peruvians. - Siege And Burning Of Cuzco. - Distresses Of The Spaniards. - Storming Of The Fortress. - Pizarro's Dismay. - The Inca Raises The Siege. 1535-1536. While the absence of his rival Almagro relieved Pizarro from all immediate disquietude from that quarter, his authority was menaced in another, where he had least expected it. This was from the native population of the country. Hitherto the Peruvians had shown only a tame a
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Book IV: Civil Wars Of The Conquerors Chapter I
Book IV: Civil Wars Of The Conquerors Chapter I
Almagro's March To Chili. - Suffering Of The Troops. - He Returns And Seizes Cuzco. - Action Of Abancay. - Gaspar De Espinosa. - Almagro Leaves Cuzco. - Negotiations With Pizarro. 1535-1537. While the events recorded in the preceding chapter were passing, the Marshal Almagro was engaged in his memorable expedition to Chili. He had set out, as we have seen, with only part of his forces, leaving his lieutenant to follow him with the remainder. During the first part of the way, he profited by the g
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Chapter II
Chapter II
First Civil War. - Almagro Retreats To Cuzco. - Battle Of Las Salinas. - Cruelty Of The Conquerors. - Trial And Execution Of Almagro. - His Character. 1537-1538. Scarcely had Almagro's officers left the governor's quarters, when the latter, calling his little army together, briefly recapitulated the many wrongs which had been done him by his rival, the seizure of his capital, the imprisonment of his brothers, the assault and defeat of his troops; and he concluded with the declaration, - heartily
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Chapter III
Chapter III
Pizarro Revisits Cuzco. - Hernando Returns To Castile. - His long Imprisonment. - Commissioner Sent To Peru. - Hostilities With The Inca. -Pizarro's Active Administration. - Gonzalo Pizarro. 1539-1540. On the departure of his brother in pursuit of Almagro, the Marquess Francisco Pizarro, as we have seen, returned to Lima. There he anxiously awaited the result of the campaign; and on receiving the welcome tidings of the victory of Las Salinas, he instantly made preparations for his march to Cuzco
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV
Gonzalo Pizarro's Expedition. - Passage Across The Mountains. - Discovers The Napo. - Incredible Sufferings. - Orellana Sails Down The Amazon. - Despair Of The Spaniards. - The Survivors Return To Quito. 1540-1542. Gonzalo Pizarro received the news of his appointment to the government of Quito with undisguised pleasure; not so much for the possession that it gave him of this ancient Indian province, as for the field that it opened for discovery towards the east, - the fabled land of Oriental spi
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Chapter V
Chapter V
The Almagro Faction. - Their Desperate Condition. - Conspiracy Against Francisco Pizarro. - Assassination Of Pizarro. - Acts Of The Conspirators. - Pizarro's Character 1541. When Gonzalo Pizarro reached Quito, he received tidings of an event which showed that his expedition to the Amazon had been even more fatal to his interests than he had imagined. A revolution had taken place during his absence, which had changed the whole condition of things in Peru. In a preceding chapter we have seen, that
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Chapter VI
Chapter VI
Movements Of The Conspirators. - Advance Of Vaca De Castro - Proceedings Of Almagro. - Progress Of The Governor. - The Forces Approach Each Other. - Bloody Plains Of Chupas. - Conduct Of Vaca De Castro. 1541-1543. The first step of the conspirators, after securing possession of the capital, was to send to the different cities, proclaiming the revolution which had taken place, and demanding the recognition of the young Almagro as governor of Peru. Where the summons was accompanied by a military f
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Chapter VI
Chapter VI
The reader, familiar with the large masses employed in European warfare, may smile at the paltry forces of the Spaniards. But in the New World, where a countless host of natives went for little, five hundred well-trained Europeans were regarded as a formidable body. No army, up to the period before us, had ever risen to a thousand. Yet it is not numbers, as I have already been led to remark, that give importance to a conflict; but the consequences that depend on it, - the magnitude of the stake,
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Chapter VII
Chapter VII
Abuses By The Conquerors. - Code For The Colonies. - Great Excitement In Peru. - Blasco Nunez The Viceroy. - His Severe Policy. - Opposed By Gonzalo Pizarro. 1543-1544. Before continuing the narrative of events in Peru, we must turn to the mother-country, where important changes were in progress in respect to the administration of the colonies. Since his accession to the Crown, Charles the Fifth had been chiefly engrossed by the politics of Europe, where a theatre was opened more stimulating to
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Chapter VIII
Chapter VIII
The Viceroy Arrives At Lima. - Gonzalo Pizarro Marches From Cuzco. - Death Of The Inca Manco. - Rash Conduct Of The Viceroy. - Seized And Deposed By The Audience. - Gonzalo Proclaimed Governor Of Peru. 1544. While the events recorded in the preceding pages were in progress, Blasco Nunez had been journeying towards Lima. But the alienation which his conduct had already caused in the minds of the colonists was shown in the cold reception which he occasionally experienced on the route, and in the s
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Chapter IX
Chapter IX
Measures Of Gonzalo Pizarro. - Escape Of Vaca De Castro. Reappearance Of The Viceroy. - His Disastrous Retreat. - Defeat And Death Of The Viceroy. - Gonzalo Pizarro Lord Of Peru. 1544-1546. The first act of Gonzalo Pizarro was to cause those persons to be apprehended who had taken the most active part against him in the late troubles. Several he condemned to death; but afterwards commuted the sentence, and contented himself with driving them into banishment and confiscating their estates. *1 His
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Book V: Settlement Of The Country Chapter I
Book V: Settlement Of The Country Chapter I
Great Sensation In Spain. - Pedro De La Gasca. - His Early Life. - His Mission To Peru. - His Politic Conduct. - His Offers To Pizarro. - Gains The Fleet. 1545-1547. While the important revolution detailed in the preceding pages was going forward in Peru, rumors of it, from time to time, found their way to the mother-country; but the distance was so great, and opportunities for communication so rare, that the tidings were usually very long behind the occurrence of the events to which they relate
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Chapter II
Chapter II
Gasca Assembles His Forces. - Defection Of Pizarro's Followers. - He Musters His Levies. - Agitation In Lima. - He Abandons The City. - Gasca Sails From Panama. - Bloody Battle Of Huarina. 1547. No sooner was Gasca placed in possession of Panama and the fleet, than he entered on a more decisive course of policy than he had been hitherto allowed to pursue. He made levies of men, and drew together supplies from all quarters. He took care to discharge the arrears already due to the soldiers, and pr
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Chapter III
Chapter III
Dismay In Gasca's Camp. - His Winter Quarters. - Resumes His March. - Crosses The Apurimac. - Pizarro's Conduct In Cuzco. - He Encamps Near The City. - Rout Of Xaquixa Guana. 1547-1548. While the events recorded in the preceding chapter were passing, President Gasca had remained at Xauxa, awaiting further tidings from Centeno, little doubting that they would inform him of the total discomfiture of the rebels. Great was his dismay, therefore, on learning the issue of the fatal conflict at Huarina
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Chapter III
Chapter III
Dismay In Gasca's Camp. - His Winter Quarters. - Resumes His March. - Crosses The Apurimac. - Pizarro's Conduct In Cuzco. - He Encamps Near The City. - Rout Of Xaquixa Guana. 1547-1548. While the events recorded in the preceding chapter were passing, President Gasca had remained at Xauxa, awaiting further tidings from Centeno, little doubting that they would inform him of the total discomfiture of the rebels. Great was his dismay, therefore, on learning the issue of the fatal conflict at Huarina
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV
Execution Of Carbajal. - Gonzalo Pizarro Beheaded. - Spoils Of Victory. - Wise Reforms By Gasca. - He Returns To Spain. - His Death And Character. 1548-1550. It was now necessary to decide on the fate of the prisoners; and Alonso de Alvarado, with the Licentiate Cianca, one of the new Royal Audience, was instructed to prepare the process. It did not require a long time. The guilt of the prisoners was too manifest, taken, as they had been, with arms in their hands. They were all sentenced to be e
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