Letter of Friar Juan Solano, Bishop of Cuzco [59] to the King
Lima, March 10th, 1545.
I arrived in this kingdom, province of Peru, without waiting for the bulls, as your Majesty ordered, for by the provisions in my possession your Majesty orders me to occupy myself with the good treatment and conversion of the Indians, and in teaching them our holy catholic faith, bringing those who are warlike into the paths of peace. With this end and object I ventured to accept this office. It appears to me that I shall have great opportunities of usefulness, if the unsettled state of the land gives me a chance. As a servant of your Majesty I am bound to tell your Majesty the truth, without affection or passion, touching all that has been passing, and that I have seen in this land, from my landing until I reached the city of Lima, that your Majesty may apply the remedy that is needed, for the necessity is great.
I landed at Tumbez, which is a port in this land of Peru, 200 leagues from this city of Lima, arriving the last of the officials of your Majesty for I met with many hindrances, especially in the South Sea. As I came last, I had occasion to see all that had taken place along the road. As the Viceroy is such a zealous and fervent servant of your Majesty, as soon as he jumped on shore in this port of Tumbez, he put in force the ordinances and new laws which your Majesty gave for these kingdoms. Presently he gave freedom to all the Indians held to service by the Spaniards in Tumbez, telling them that, being free, they could go where they chose and act for themselves freely and according to their wishes. As regards all other provisions in the ordinances, the Viceroy went on executing them in accordance with your Majesty’s orders. With this liberty given to the Indians, I saw that those who had been taught our holy catholic faith and knew it, and were baptized Christians, having returned to their chiefs and their homes as before, also went back to their old rites and customs. Of this all the land is a witness. I also saw that in the houses of Christians and in the tambos on the roads, where the Christian doctrine used to be taught every night, now there is no such custom because there is no one to teach, all having gone to their chiefs and their homes.
I arrived at the city of San Miguel, and I saw that in the church, where there used to be 40 little Indian boys serving and learning the things pertaining to the divine services, there did not remain more than two. All the rest had gone with their parents to the old homes, to live under their old laws and in blindness. I saw the same thing all the way to the city of Lima. I could only weep to see the Christians returning to be Infidels. For I know it is your Majesty’s wish that the Indians should become Christians and be taught the holy catholic faith, and not that they should abandon it. The reception their chiefs gave them was to sacrifice them because they were Christians and had served Christians. This was publicly stated on the roads. I am myself a witness as regards one chief, for I scolded him and he confessed that he had sacrificed a woman, and seeing this I could not but feel it much. For to have the Indians subject to our holy catholic faith, and gentle and domestic as regards our evangel and Christianity is not to deprive them of liberty, but rather to give them that liberty that Christus liberavit nos not to make them slaves. They should be treated non sicut servi sub lege sed sicut liberi sub gratia constituti.
In the cities of San Miguel and Truxillo I saw the citizens much disturbed and rebellious, for they protested against the ordinances and laws, and their petitions were not agreed to; indeed they complained that the Viceroy had replied very harshly with menaces of their lives.
When I arrived at Lima my sorrow increased to find that all the labours of the past had only brought trouble all over the country and no peace. The Viceroy, on landing, at once began to enforce the laws and ordinances, refusing to concede anything to the supplications. The consequence was that the whole country rose when he reached Lima, where they received him very unwillingly. When the news came to Cuzco that he would consider no supplication, the people rose against the person of the Viceroy, and took up arms, saying that they would come to protest against the new laws, and they chose Gonzalo Pizarro for their captain. The Viceroy, knowing this, began to collect troops. When I arrived I saw that the troops were disorderly. Presently the Viceroy ordered 150,000 castellanos, which Vaca de Castro had on board ship for despatch to your Majesty, to be landed. He spent it all on his troops for hosen, doublets and other clothes. But though he paid them well, he did not gain the good will of fifty, as was seen afterwards. When the three Judges arrived, who had been left at Panama, they considered it advisable to suspend the new laws so as to quiet and pacify the land. But this did no good. It was too late. The people said that it should have been done before.
The people had no confidence whatever in the Viceroy, for he publicly talked of them as traitors and rebels, saying that when the country was at peace he would hang them by sixties and sixties until there was not a head left in the land. Hearing this, they were all afraid that he would do as he said, enforcing the new laws without listening to any supplication. In this your Majesty may believe that the fault was in the Viceroy, for he knew not how to keep anything secret in his heart, and he said publicly all that came into his head. What he thought at night he said in the daytime, and this was the cause of his fall. For these reasons the people of Cuzco prayed that the Judges of your Majesty’s Court would remain, and that the Viceroy would go to report to your Majesty.
Sunday, Sept. 4, 1544.
Sept. 15, 1544.
Things being in this state it happened that in the night of Sunday, September 14th, about 17 to 20 men on horseback left Lima to join the rebels at Cuzco, for the hearts and best wishes of all were with them, and every day some men went to join them. Among others two relations of the Factor Illan[60] Suarez went, and some men who lodged in his house[61]. Whether the Factor knew of this or not, there is no one who knows. When they went there was a call to arms at midnight, and as soon as the Viceroy was told who it was that had gone, he sent for the Factor and asked him whether this treason appeared good to him. The Factor answered that he was a servant of the King and not a traitor. This was told to me by a clergyman who was there all the time. The Viceroy was going to reply when the Factor again said that he was as good a servant of his Majesty as the Viceroy. When the Viceroy heard those words he was enraged. Then he, or his servants by his order, killed him there without confession, nor taking his statement nor anything else whatever. They wrapped the body in a mantle, and ordered some soldiers to take it away for burial, which was done. Great was the sorrow and amazement of the people when it became known. All were plunged in grief. On the Monday the 15th the Viceroy ordered the children of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro to be put on board a ship; and on Tuesday the 16th he talked of embarking the Judges and all the women, with what object I do not know[62]. He also said that he would sack the town on that day, at least that was the report, but I do not believe it. Yet all the people began to hide their valuables and bury their treasure.
Sept. 17.
In the morning of Wednesday the 17th of September the city was in a great state of commotion, and the people took up arms. The Judges came with some followers[63], though not many. They ordered a banner to be displayed, and caused it to be proclaimed that all should be on the side of his Majesty and his Royal Court of Justice. They came to the great square with this proclamation, and marched towards the troops of the Viceroy who were in front of his house. As the Judges approached, the Viceroy’s troops fired their arquebuses in the air, threw up their pikes and all went over to the side of the Judges. The people then entered the Viceroy’s house and arrested him without anyone being killed or wounded, or a drop of blood shed. It was all done so quietly that it appeared to me as if it had been arranged beforehand. It was either a miracle or I cannot understand it. It is beyond me that a Viceroy, having so many troops, should have been arrested and no one hurt. He was delivered to the Judges who sent him as a prisoner to the house of one of them, and thence he was taken to an island[64] near the port, until they could send him in a ship to Spain as a prisoner.
I believe that, if there had been resistance, they would have killed the Viceroy, there would have been many deaths, and the country would have been in great danger. The course taken by the Judges, therefore, appears to have been the best and to have averted worse evils. I know not. They will give an account of their proceedings to your Majesty. What I have been able to learn, and what I have seen is that the Viceroy was very unpopular with the people of this land, and that they would rather see him torn to pieces than be governed by him. All the fault lies with the Viceroy, for he knew not the art of governing. If he had entered this land dissimulating, and judging of the good and the bad in it until he reached Lima, he would have been received by the whole land, would have placed his own justices and officials, and would have dominated the country. Then he could have done what he liked, and could have enforced the new laws to the letter, without anyone attempting to thwart him. But he did not wish to receive any advice from the officials and servants of your Majesty. The only advice the Viceroy listened to, came from those of Chile[65], opponents of Gonzalo Pizarro, men he brought from Panama, whither they had been banished by Vaca de Castro. Thus he boldly entered the country, ordering and talking, and it seems to me that all went wrong because he did not listen to the advice of your Majesty’s servants.
Also I will not omit to say another truth to your Majesty. All that Blasco Nuñez Vela has done, he has done with the greatest love and devotion, and with zeal to serve your Majesty, and he has not failed in a single point in your Majesty’s service, and in the desire to execute all that your Majesty has ordered.
The commander appointed by the Viceroy burnt two ships, and sunk another. With the rest he made sail with the brother and brother-in-law of the Viceroy, and with Vaca de Castro, who had for many days been a prisoner on board, I know not for what reason. They went to a port 18 leagues distant[66]. There they put the Viceroy on board, in charge of the Licentiate Alvarez, one of the Judges, who was to take him to Spain under arrest. But on the voyage the two made friends, concerted together, and landed at Tumbez. The Viceroy fled thence, by land, to the city of Quito.
On the 24th of October Gonzalo Pizarro entered the city of Lima. Three days previously his captains had arrived, with the Procurators of all the cities. They and the captains demanded of the Royal Judges that they should appoint Gonzalo Pizarro to be Governor and Captain-General of all these kingdoms until his Majesty should order otherwise. The Judges did this, and it appeared to the servants of your Majesty that this would be in furtherance of your Majesty’s service, and pleasing to God[67].
Now it is positively stated that the Viceroy is in the neighbourhood of Quito with 200 men to march against this city, and that he has taken your Majesty’s rents in the neighbouring districts, to pay his troops. I fear that this is so.
Your Majesty will be able to see how great are the evils in this land, and will continue until your Majesty orders a remedy which will bring us peace. Your Majesty may also see to the way in which the rents and the gold of your Majesty are spent, and the great sorrow it is to see the natives who remain, destroyed, lost, and dead, to the very great weight on our consciences. Those who suffer most, as it seems to me, are your Majesty and the natives. I, therefore, entreat your Majesty, for the love of Jesus Christ, that you will have pity on them, and send peace without delay, for all is in your Majesty’s hands, and the necessity is urgent in the extreme. Do not permit this land to be lost, and the natives to be destroyed, for now they are beginning to understand our laws and to avail themselves of the things appertaining to our holy catholic faith. With these troubles and wars all is dropped and lost. Your Majesty should feel sorrow for them, because it is a very heavy load on the conscience to leave them to perish. With peace and rest in the land very great results would be seen in very few years, and their conversion will be a very great service to your Majesty because they are all inclined to be Christians.
I have also ascertained that the citizens of Lima have taken $25,000 from your Majesty’s treasury, and the citizens of Cuzco $12,000 for the expenses of the war. When I knew this, I spoke to Gonzalo Pizarro on the subject of having taken the treasure of your Majesty. He said that those who took it had given acknowledgments and receipts, and had mortgaged their persons and goods, that they were substantial men whose estates are worth over $200,000 and that your Majesty would not lose a blanca. All the others said the same, that your Majesty’s interests were safe.
I am also informed that the Judges, by a royal decree, have ordered Gonzalo Pizarro to march north and drive the Viceroy out of the country, that he may not continue devastating and destroying, but go to give an account to your Majesty. All the troops are got ready to march with him and all are starting. Gonzalo Pizarro has a great power, and I fear that all are hostile to the Viceroy, while Pizarro has not taken upon himself to defend the Viceroy that he may not be killed. By these feuds the country is lost and destroyed, and the natives perish. I entreat your Majesty to look upon it with eyes of pity, as the Prince, Lord, and Father of all this land.
What I see and what I hear is that all are well with Gonzalo Pizarro, that he is friends with all classes, and that all desire his rule. All too desire mercy from your Majesty, and to serve your Majesty transmitting much treasure, and paying all that the Viceroy spent, and this is what is most desired in this land. Otherwise the country is in very great doubt and danger. This is truth concerning all that is passing here, and anything further will be told by the father who takes this, and who can give your Majesty full information.
I have written to your Majesty because if I did not send a full account of all that has passed, I should be left with a heavy load on my conscience, and should not be doing my duty to your Majesty.
I have sent this father, who is a person of credit and a provincial vicar in this land of Peru, a very religious man of good fame. To him I refer your Majesty for all further particulars.
I again entreat your Majesty, for the love of Jesus Christ, to send us peace, and not to allow these natives to receive such evil treatment, which is a very great load on the conscience. For they were on the point of becoming Christians, but these disturbances have caused everything to be dropped. With peace all would be remedied, and so I hope in our Lord.
May the Lord guard the imperial person of your Majesty, with increase to your kingdoms and lordships, as is desired by your servants and vassals. From this city of the Kings, the 10th of March 1545. Your devoted servant and chaplain who kisses your imperial feet and hands, Fray Juan Solano.