The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

PIZARRO ON THE ISLAND OF GALLO. FROM A PAINTING BY JUAN O. LEPIANI.

The execution of Atahuallpa completed the Conquest of Peru. The sovereignty of the Inca emperor had been too absolute for its own well-being, and in the hour of peril, the humble subjects, who had responded with such perfect obedience to the will of an autocrat, were powerless to move without his guiding finger, possessing in themselves neither initiative nor self-reliance, qualities that thrive only in the free air of independence, under the sunlight of hope. That the despotism of the Incas was a mighty power, exercised with genius and worthiness, cannot be denied; industry was the basis of its greatness, and protection the keynote to its prosperity; every subject of the Children of the Sun must earn his bread by honest labor, though he was always sure of being fed. But the very fact that such a despotism could be annihilated by a mere handful of adventurers, and that, within the space of a few months, its institutions could fall to pieces and its people be made slaves to this band of invaders whom they outnumbered by millions, proves that it was not a system strong enough to hold its own in the progress of nations. One cannot help regretting, however, that such a flourishing empire was not permitted to fulfil its own destiny; perhaps it might have developed, through the refining influence of the national ideals, from an absolute theocracy to a more liberal form of government.

With the overthrow of the Incas, the land that had bloomed perennially with the fruits of husbandry became a scene of anarchy and a neglected waste; the highroads, instead of presenting a pleasant spectacle in groups of contented farm laborers, on their way to fulfil the daily tasks that were to bring them both bodily and spiritual reward, were thronged with heavy-hearted, over-worked, and poorly fed slaves.

AUTOGRAPHS OF THE FIRST OFFICIALS WHO GOVERNED LIMA WITH PIZARRO.

As soon as the obstacle of Atahuallpa’s presence was removed, Pizarro and his followers set out for Cuzco, marking their progress by the demolition of Inca temples along the route, the seizure of treasure, and all the outrages which an unrestrained soldiery of brutal instincts will commit under such circumstances. Everywhere the emblems of the Sun worship were replaced by images of the Virgin and Child, and the few efforts at resistance that were made by the terror-stricken natives were easily overcome by the soldiers of the Cross. An uprising of some importance took place near Jauja, under the command of the Inca’s favorite general, but it was quelled and the leader burned at the stake. A brother of Huascar, the Inca Manco, sought an interview with the Spaniards and put forth his claims to the throne of his fathers, asking Pizarro’s protection. As it did not in any way interfere with Pizarro’s plans, but rather promised to further them, the Conqueror caused Manco to be crowned at Cuzco, the ceremony being more like an acknowledgment of vassalage to Spain than the coronation of a royal heir of the Inca dynasty. However, the outward semblance of royalty counted for much among the Inca’s subjects, who, at that time, no doubt had very confused ideas as to Pizarro’s place in the government, and were contented as long as the crimson masca paicha adorned the brow of an Inca prince. By this politic proceeding, the governor, as Pizarro was now called, was able to begin the colonization of the country, though only after all the temples, palaces, fortresses, and tombs of the holy city had been stripped of their last treasures,—the amount secured being even greater than the ransom of Atahuallpa,—was it possible to establish the institutions of peaceful government.

Leaving Cuzco to be ruled by one of his brothers, Pizarro set out for the coast to learn the intentions of a newly arrived adventurer, Pedro de Alvarado, who had been with Cortés in Mexico, and had come to seek a fresh field for his military prowess in Peru, having heard of the Conquest and of the enormous booty secured by the discoverers. Pizarro met Alvarado at Pachacámac, where they came to a friendly understanding, and spent some time together in social entertainment, after which Alvarado departed for Guatemala, and Pizarro, who had long realized that Cuzco was too inaccessible to be a satisfactory metropolis for the new colonial empire, began to plan for the foundation of a suitable capital on the coast. He concluded that the neighboring valley of Rimac offered desirable advantages, and here the site was chosen on the 6th of January, 1535, the new capital being named the City of the Kings in honor of the festival of Twelfth Night. The popular name, however, has always been Lima, a corruption of the Indian “Rimac.” The founding of the city did not take place until two weeks after the selection of the site.

The foundation of Lima marks the closing period in the history of the Conquest, a period in which that remarkable drama of warring ambition reached a final scene in keeping with the tragic story. When the royal fifth of the enormous treasure taken from the Inca’s dominions arrived at the court of Spain, the whole country went mad with excitement over such a mountain of gold. Charles was overcome with delight and manifested his appreciation of the great service rendered by Pizarro, Almagro and Valverde, by giving to the first the title of Marquis with seventy leagues more of territory southward; to Almagro two hundred leagues, beginning at the southern boundary of Pizarro’s dominions; and to Father Valverde the bishopric of Cuzco. Father Luque had died at Panamá, after warning Almagro to be on his guard in his dealings with Pizarro, whom the honest priest distrusted from the first. Following his advice, and profiting by his own previous experience, Almagro had sent his personal representative to Spain with Hernando Pizarro, when that cavalier was commissioned to carry the royal fifth to the king. The Conqueror and his marshal, as Almagro was called, no sooner received news of the division of their possessions than they began to quarrel over the limits. Almagro claimed Cuzco in his province of New Toledo, while Pizarro insisted that the Inca capital belonged to his dominion, which was called New Castile. Pizarro went to Cuzco, met Almagro and persuaded him to allow the matter to rest until Hernando should arrive from Panamá with the documents; the two embraced and swore undying loyalty to each other, after which Almagro set out to conquer Chile, while Pizarro returned to the task which gave him more pleasure than any other, the building of the new capital of Peru. He also founded the city of Trujillo, naming it after his birthplace in Spain.