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.