[9] 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.
[10] 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.
[11] Abancay is a town on one of the branches of the Apurimac about 60
miles west from Cuzco. - E.
[12] We learn from the History of America, II. 331, that this bloodless
victory over Alvarado took place on the 12th July 1537. Garcilasso
calls it the battle of the river Amancay, and names Alvarado
Alonso. - E.
[13] Nasca is about 240 miles S.S.E. from Lima, or about sixty Spanish
leagues. - E.
[14] Zarate forgets that only a few lines before, he had mentioned that
Almagro carried these officers along with his army: - E.
[15] Mala, or San Pedro de Mala, is a town and sea-port on a river of the
same name, about 50 miles south from Lima.
[16] According to Robertson, II. 334, after an unsuccessful attempt to
cross the mountains by the direct road from Lima to Cuzco, Ferdinand
marched southwards in the maritime plain to Nasca, whence he
penetrated by the defiles of the mountains in that quarter. - E.
[17] Garcilasso informs us that the musketeers of Pizarro used a kind of
chain shot on this occasion; their leaden bullets being cast in two
hemispheres connected together by several links of a small iron
chain. - E.
[18] In Zarate the date of this battle is given as the 26th of April, in
which he is followed by Robertson; but Garcilasso carefully notices
the mistake, and assures us that it was fought on the 6th of the
month. - E.
[19] Collao in the text is probably Cailloma of modern maps, a very
elevated valley at the head of one of the branches of the Apurimac.
The marshy country beyond, to which Candia and Peranzures were sent on
discovery, is called Musu by Garcilasso, and was probably the Pampas
or marshy plains of the Mojos or Muju, to the east of the Andes,
nearly in the latitude of Cailloma - E.
[20] We learn from Garcilasso that in this province the city of La Plata
was afterwards built, not far distant from the famous mines of Potosi
and Porco - E.
[21] Perhaps the Inca Titu Yupanqui is here meant, who was named
Tizogopangui by Zarate on a former occasion. - E.
SECTION IV.
_Expeditions of Pedro de Valdivia into Chili, and of Gonzalo Pizarro to
Los Canelos_.
On the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia in Chili, he was peaceably received by
the Indians, who wished to gather in their crops, as it was then the
season of harvest. When this important business was accomplished, the
whole country rose upon the Spaniards, who were unprepared for this event
and somewhat dispersed, and killed forty of them before they could draw
their forces together. On this occasion, when Valdivia was about to take
the field to chastise the Chilese, part of his troops threatened to mutiny
against his authority, and he was under the necessity of hanging several
of the ringleaders, among whom was captain Pedro Sancho de Hosz, who was
almost equal to himself in the command of this expedition. After the
suppression of this mutiny, Valdivia took the field against the Indians,
and during his absence an army of the enemy exceeding seven thousand men
came to attack the newly established city, in which only a small number of
Spaniards remained for its defence, under the command of the captains
Francisco de Villagran, and Alfonso de Monroy. These officers went boldly
out against the Chilese, at the head only of thirty horsemen, with whom
they fought bravely against the immense number of Chilese archers from
morning till night, after which they retired into the city, extremely
fatigued and several of them wounded, but none of them slain. As the
Chilese suffered a great loss in killed and wounded during this engagement,
they retired during the night.
For eight years afterwards, Valdivia and his troops defended themselves
bravely against every effort of the Chilese, who continued the war
incessantly. In all that time, Valdivia obliged his soldiers to cultivate
a sufficient quantity of land for their sustenance, not being able to
procure Indians for that purpose, yet resolved not to abandon the country
which had been commited to his government. At the end of that period he
returned into Peru, at the time when the licentiate Pedro de la Gasca was
employed in levying an army against Gonzalo Pizarro, as shall be related
in the sequel[1].
Soon after the overthrow of the Almagrians, it was reported in Peru that a
very rich country had been discovered to the eastwards of Quito, which in
particular contained great quantities of cinnamon trees, on which account
it got the name of Los Canelos, or the cinnamon country. The marquis
accordingly resolved to send his brother Gonzalo Pizarro to discover that
country; and as it was necessary to march thither by way of Quito, where
likewise every requisite for the expedition was to be procured, the
marquis conferred the government of the kingdom of Quito on his brother,
till his majestys pleasure might be made known. Gonzalo Pizarro
accordingly set out from Cuzco with a considerable force, taking his route
for Quito by way of the elevated mountain vallies[2]. In this march he was
opposed by the Indians of the province of Guanuco with so much
perseverance and bravery, that the marquis was under the necessity of
sending him a reinforcement under Francisco de Chaves.