Vicente Vaca de Castro

“ How the captain Alonso de Alvarado, on getting the news of Pero Alvarez Holguin, sent another messenger to Vaca de Castro urging him to come to where the camp was with all possible speed.
IT was very fortunate for Vaca de Castro that he should have found so much loyalty in the Realm; and that now that Don Diego had usurped the government of the provinces, his Majesty the King our Lord should have had vassals of a kind who would not countenance so weighty an offence, nor allow any one to occupy the Realm against his royal pleasure. ”

“ In such an emergency, a feebler spirit might have listened to the counsels of those who advised to return to Panama, and stay there until he had mustered a sufficient force to enable him to take the field against the insurgents with advantage. But the courageous heart of Vaca de Castro shrunk from a step which would proclaim his incompetency to the task assigned him. He had confidence in his own resources, and in the virtue of the commission under which he acted. He relied, too, on the habitual loyalty of the Spaniards ”

“ The commission of that officer gave him no authority over the territory of New Toledo, settled on Almagro's father, and by his father bequeathed to him. If Vaca de Castro, by exceeding the limits of his authority, drove him to hostilities, the blood spill in the quarrel would lie on the head of that commander, not on his. "In the assassination of Pizarro," he continued, "we took that justice into our own hands which elsewhere was denied us. It is the same now, in our contest with the royal governor. We are as true-hearted and loyal subjects of the Crown as he is." ”

“ Lorenzo de Aldana was not of this opinion. He maintained that Vaca de Castro should take the road and enter Peru with all possible despatch; for although Don Diego had assumed the name of Governor, there were in Peru so many loyal subjects of his Majesty that they would not fail for any reason to enlist themselves in his service. To go to Panamá would cause much mischief, and would be of no use. After they had argued about what should be done, Vaca de Castro decided to go on to Quito, and ordered Belalcázar to go with him to Peru. ”

“ Many of the Almagrians saved themselves by favour of the darkness; and some of them, for greater security, threw away their white scarfs, by which the rebels were distinguished, and put on the red scarfs of the royalists who lay dead on the field. Thus Vaca de Castro obtained a complete victory, although before the charge was given his army lost many more men than the enemy, insomuch that Don Diego thought himself till then secure of conquering. Such of the fugitives as endeavoured to save themselves by way of the plain were all killed by the Indians ”

“ For when murmurs and discontents are converted into wars it is better to follow a daring soldier than a noted scholar, for they say that to gild a mistake they make a hundred.
Vaca de Castro considered that if he entered Lima accompanied by artillery, arms, and arquebuses it would look bad and give rise to a doubt of his loyalty; while if he entered privately the Viceroy might ill use him, without regarding what was due to his position, nor considering his services to the King, for it was notorious that the Viceroy{26} was coming with a prejudice against him. ”

“ The captain Pedro Anzures made such good speed that he soon reached the city of San Miguel, and arrested Diego de Santiago, from whom he took 18,000 pesos de oro. With this he proceeded to Lima, and was welcomed by the Governor. The money brought by Anzures supplied pay and outfits for the soldiers. In the port of Callao there lay anchored the great galleon, with four other ships. Not knowing what might be the result of the war, Vaca de Castro thought it well to hold the sea secure, so as to be able to escape by it if they should find them [237] selves closely pressed. ”

“ The messengers, taking the letters and their credentials, eagerly set out to find Vaca de Castro. They passed through very great danger, for the natives, at a village called Taca, seeing them so few in number, came out to kill them. Scarcely had they got there with their despatches when the Indians attacked them with great boldness; but in the end, as they were valiant soldiers, they passed on and arrived at the camp of Alonso de Alvarado. When that captain heard that Pero Alvarez was coming with such a brilliant company, and whole-hearted readiness to serve the King, he rejoiced. ”

“ It was important to Almagro's success that he should defeat this junction. If to procrastinate was the policy of Vaca de Castro, it was clearly that of Almagro to quicken operations, and to bring matters to as speedy an issue as possible; to march at once against Holguin, whom he might expect easily to overcome with his superior numbers; then to follow up the stroke by the still easier defeat of Alvarado, when the new governor would be, in a manner, at his mercy. It would be easy to beat these several bodies in detail, which, once united, would present formidable odds. ”

“ If that flush of vigour wavers or cools down, their minds are apt to become more timorous than bold and they lose their steadiness. To this and other things, Vaca de Castro answered: "Is your brain good?" [129] and he proceeded to reply to what had been said. Finally it was resolved by all to give battle, and again they turned to encourage the men, urging that they fought for the honour of the King, and that they must display all the valour that was in them, with other exhortations.
Don Diego and his captains did not sleep during this time ”

“ They all declared that they would do their duty manfully, and would rather be cut to pieces than allow themselves to be defeated, as they all considered themselves interested in the success of the war on their own accounts, as well as from duty to the king. All the officers earnestly intreated Vaca de Castro not to hazard himself in the front of battle, insisting that he should take post in the rear with thirty horsemen, whence he might send succour to wherever it might be needed. ”

“ As he was thus employed, he received tidings that the enemy had left Cuzco, and was on his march towards the coast. Quitting Los Reyes, therefore, with his trusty followers, Vaca de Castro marched at once to Xauxa, the appointed place of rendezvous. Here he mustered his forces, and found that they amounted to about seven hundred men. The cavalry, in which lay his strength, was superior in numbers to that of his antagonist, but neither so well mounted or armed. ”

“ The rich yield of the river of Caravaya was increasing, and ordinances were enacted to regulate affairs concerning the mines. Hearing that great outrages were being committed on the natives because many of the post houses or tambos on the royal road from Cuzco to Quito were badly provided, and that some men had been carried off in chains, by which God our Lord was ill served, and his Majesty too, Vaca de Castro issued an ordinance which was very proper and beneficial at the moment. ”

“ Having drawn together a well armed force of seven hundred men, 370 of whom were cavalry, 170 musqueteers, and 160 armed with pikes, Vaca de Castro appointed captain Francisco de Carvajal serjeant major [10] of his army; the same person who was afterwards maestre de campo general under Gonzalo Pizarro. Carvajal was an officer of great experience, having served above forty years in the army, and was bred in the wars of Italy under the great captain, having risen in that service from the ranks to a lieutenancy. By him all the movements of the army were directed. ”

“ They told Gonzalo Pizarro that Vaca de Castro wanted to kill him while others told Vaca de Castro that Pizarro wanted to kill him and seize upon the government. Then Vaca de Castro sent for Gonzalo Pizarro and, by a writ under the hand of the secretary Pero López, required him to proceed to Charcas, where he had estates, and to stay there, without maintaining any body of men which might give rise to a renewal of the scandal, on pain of being declared a traitor and forfeiting all his property. He was to live there as a private person. ”

“ How Gómez de Tordoya and other citizens of Cuzco agreed to send messengers to the captain Pero Alvarez Holguin that, on knowing of the death of the Marquis, he should raise the banner for the King.
I AM weary of trying to comprehend the events which happened in the Realm at this time, because it was proper to narrate what passed in Lima, and the steps taken by Vaca de Castro. God is my witness to the vigils I have kept and the little ease I have enjoyed. ”

“ On the insurrection of the Peruvians, he was sent to the support of Francis Pizarro, and was rewarded by that chief with a grant of land in Cuzco. Here he remained for several years, busily employed in increasing his substance; for the love of lucre was a ruling passion in his bosom. On the arrival of Vaca de Castro, we find him doing good service under the royal banner; and at the breaking out of the great rebellion under Gonzalo Pizarro, he converted his property into gold, and prepared to return to Castile. ”

“ The arrival of a new corps on the field, all fresh for action, gave another turn to the tide.28 Alvarado's men took heart and rallied. Almagro's, though driven back by the fury of the assault, quickly returned against their assailants. Thirteen of Vaca de Castro's cavaliers fell dead from their saddles. But it was the last effort of the Almagrians. Their strength, though not their spirit, failed them. ”

“ Is this the way government rewards our services in winning for it an empire? The government has done little to aid us in making the conquest, and for what we have we may thank our own good swords; and with these same swords," they continued, warming into menace, "we know how to defend it." Then, stripping up his sleeve, the war-worn veteran bared his arm, or, exposing his naked bosom, pointed to his scars, as the best title to his estates.15
The governor, Vaca de Castro, watched the storm thus gathering from all quarters, with the deepest concern. ”

“ The more limited the means, even, the greater may be the science shown in the use of them; until, forgetting the poverty of the materials, we fix our attention on the conduct of the actors, and the greatness of the results.
While at Xauxa, Vaca de Castro received an embassy from Gonzalo Pizarro, returned from his expedition from the "Land of Cinnamon," in which that chief made an offer of his services in the approaching contest. The governor's answer showed that he was not wholly averse to an accommodation with Almagro, provided it could be effected without compromising the royal authority. ”

“ As the Governor Vaca de Castro could not satisfy all those who had joined him by giving them allotments of Indians, he took great care to furnish those who undertook discoveries and conquests, with horses and other equipment, so that they might set out from the Realm well provided. ”

“ Go home and look to your safety with all quiet and content.” After the murder of the Marquis Pizarro, Carbajal joined Vaca de Castro and was appointed “Sargento-Mayor.” At the battle of Chupas he marshalled the royal army, and showed both military skill and extraordinary personal valour. The old veteran was very corpulent, and when a shot from young Almagro’s cannon mowed a space in the advancing troops of Vaca de Castro, Carbajal threw himself into the gap, telling the men that his size made him a bigger target than any one else. ”

“ Don Diego complained loudly of Vaca de Castro for sending spies to corrupt his followers while making offers of accommodation; and drawing out his army in complete order before the governors messengers, he ordered all his officers to prepare for battle, promising that whoever killed any of the hostile inhabitants of the country, should be rewarded with the wife, lands, Indians, and wealth of the slain. ”

“ The objects of the revolution were thus attained. To contend longer would be manifest rebellion, and that without a motive; and he urged the commander by every principle of loyalty and patriotism to support him in settling the distractions of the country, and bringing it back to its allegiance. The candid and conciliatory language of the president, so different from the arrogance of Blasco Nunez, and the austere demeanour of Vaca de Castro, made a sensible impression on Mexia. He admitted the force of Gasca's reasoning, and flattered himself that Gonzalo Pizarro would not be insensible to it. ”

“ In all the land there was not a man ready and fitted to act the spy, unless it were this one, and Juan Diente who captured him, as we shall relate. Having removed his beard and casting off his Spanish clothes, he put on the garb of an Indian, rubbed his lips and back teeth with that precious herb which grows on the skirts of the Andes, and leaving the sword of which he was unworthy, he took a staff in his hand, and in a pouch or small wallet he put the letters which Vaca de Castro gave him for the camp of Don Diego. ”

“ The captain Jorge Robledo, desiring to do what we have said, set out from Anzerma, taking as his ensign the captain Álvaro de Mendoza, a principal knight among those engaged in that campaign, who had served his Majesty for many years. With a hundred Spaniards, horse and foot, they left Anzerma, crossed the great river, and came to the village of Irra. Leaving the affairs of that government at this point, we will return to our principal subject, and relate how the licentiate Cristóbal Vaca de Castro was appointed in Spain to be Governor of Peru. ”

“ But in 1541, old hatreds and fresh discontents came to a head in a plot which bore fruit in the assassination of the governor, the Marquis Pizarro, now past 70 years of age. A young half-caste son of old Almagro was installed in the governorship by the conspirators, and when, the next year, a new royally commissioned governor, Vaca de Castro, arrived from Spain, young Almagro was mad enough to resist him. His rebellion was overcome speedily and he suffered death. ”