Lorenzo de Aldana, Hernan Mexia, Palomino, and Juan de Illanes, and the Regent Friar Tomas San Martin sailed from Panama with two ships and a frigate 17 Feb. 1547. I made sail from Panama to Taboga 10 April 1547, where there were 22 other ships. April 12 we left Taboga, I, General Pedro de Hinojosa, Diego Garcia de Paredas, &c. in the capitana.
Aldana, joined by Paniagua with another ship, put into Guayaquil.
Gasca encountered bad weather and put into Buenaventura. The captain wanted to return to Panama. There were very heavy seas, thunder and lightning, and a downpour of rain, wet through fore and aft. Those with him entreated him to let the captain shorten sail. He refused. At last he went to his cabin to see how his papers had fared with the water. Then Paredes and others told the sailors that I had ordered the mainsail to be lowered. Having done my best to protect the papers from wet, I came out and found the men on the yard and the sail being lowered. I shouted that it was not to be done, but no one wanted to hear me. At this juncture a number of lights of St Elmo appeared on all the yards, which gave great consolation, all the sailors falling on their knees and saying their St Elmo prayer. This led to silence, and I and Pedro de Hinojosa, with some others, got the sail up again. This reminded me of what Aristotle and Pliny said that when there are many of these lights, it is a sign that the tempest will cease. Next day we were able to anchor under the shelter of Gorgona. Don Pedro Cabrera’s ship reached Buenaventura, where he and his people landed and marched by Popayan and Quito, reaching Xauxa after seven months, in November. I found 12 ships at Gorgona. The Bishop of Lima, Hinojosa, and Paredes went in the galliot. April 30th all sailed from Gorgona, I also in the galley with 30 of the best arquebusiers, to go by rowing if sails were of no use. Paniagua met me off Gallo with a letter from Gonzalo Pizarro. He dwelt on the services of his brothers and himself, on the necessity for expelling Blasco Nuñez, and on his care of the royal treasury.
Murder of the Inca Manco described
by his son.
Titu Cusi Yupanqui, younger son of the murdered Inca Manco, being a neophyte in the beginning of 1570, dictated to an Augustine friar named Marcos Garcia, who was with him at Vilcapampa, the following “Narrative of the entry of the Spaniards into Peru, and of what happened to him when they were living with him.”
All these things having happened, both those which I have mentioned and many others which I have not touched upon to avoid prolixity, my father returned to Vilcapampa as head of all this province, where he rested for some days. From this place, because he did not like to be without me, he sent to Cuzco for me, where I was, until they took me to Viticos, in the house of Oñate[78]. The messengers took me and my mother secretly to the town of Viticos, where my father had come for fresh air, it being a cold land. There I and my Father stayed for many days. At different times seven Spaniards arrived, saying that they were fugitives owing to having committed offences, and they protested that they would serve my Father with all their power, for the remainder of their lives. They prayed that they might be allowed to remain in that land and end their days there. My Father, thinking that they came with good intentions, ordered his captains to do them no harm, for he wished to keep them as his servants, and that they should have houses in which to live. The captains would much rather have put an end to them, but obeyed my Father’s orders. My Father had them with him for many days and years, treating them very well, and giving them all that they needed, even ordering his own women to prepare their food and their beverage, and taking his meals with them. He treated them as if they were his own brothers.
After these Spaniards had been with my Father for several years in the said town of Viticos they were one day, with much good fellowship, playing at quoits with him: only them, my Father, and me, who was then a boy. Without having any suspicion, although an Indian woman, named Banba, had said that the Spaniards wanted to murder the Inca, my Father was playing with them as usual. In this game, just as my Father was raising the quoit to throw, they all rushed upon him with knives, daggers, and some swords. My Father, feeling himself wounded, strove to make some defence, but he was one and unarmed, and they were seven fully armed; he fell to the ground covered with wounds, and they left him for dead. I, being a little boy, and seeing my Father treated in this manner, wanted to go where he was to help him. But they turned furiously upon me, and hurled a lance which only just failed to kill me also. I was terrified and fled amongst some bushes. They looked for me, but could not find me. The Spaniards, seeing that my Father had ceased to breathe, went out of the gate, in high spirits, saying, “Now that we have killed the Inca we have nothing to fear.” But at this moment the captain Rimachi Yupanqui arrived with some Antis, and presently chased them in such sort that, before they could get very far along a difficult road, they were caught and pulled from their horses. They all had to suffer very cruel deaths and some were burnt. Notwithstanding his wounds my Father lived for three days. Before he died, he sent for me and all his captains, and spoke these words....[79]
All the above writing was done and ordered to give the information dictated by the most illustrious Lord Don Diego de Castro Titu Cusi Yupanqui, son of Manco Inca Yupanqui late natural Lord of these kingdoms of Peru, to the Reverend Father Friar Marcos Garcia, Friar Presbyter of the order of Saint Augustine, who resides in that province of Vilcapampa, having in charge the cure of all the souls within it, to the honour and glory of Almighty God.
I Martin Pando, clerk, commissioned by the Illustrious Lord the Licentiate Lope Garcia de Castro, late Governor of these kingdoms, solemnly declare that all that is above written was composed and ordered by the said Father under the instructions of the said Don Diego de Castro, and which I myself wrote with my proper hands in the manner dictated by the said Father, being witnesses the Reverend Father Friar Diego Ortiz, professed presbyter of the said order, who jointly resides in company with the author of this, and three captains of the said Don Diego de Castro, named Suta Yupanqui, Rimachi Yupanqui, and Sullca Huarac. In token of the good faith of all the aforesaid, I signed my name. Done in the town of San Salvador of Vilcapampa, on the 6th of February 1570, which, to make it more authentic is also signed with the names of Father Friar Martin Garcia and Father Diego Ortiz.
I Don Diego de Castro Titu Cusi Yupanqui, natural son of Manco Inca Yupanqui late Lord of these kingdoms of Peru declare that, as it is necessary for me to make this statement to the King Don Philip our Lord, containing things of importance to me and my successors, and not knowing the style and manner used by Spaniards in such reports, I requested the very Reverend Father Friar Marcos Garcia and Martin de Pando that, in conformity with the usage on such occasions, they would order and compose the above narrative, for the very illustrious Lord, the Licentiate Lope Garcia de Castro to send to Spain; that for me, in my name, holding, as I do hold, my power, all may be explained to his Majesty Don Philip our King and Lord, that he, seeing the grounds of my request, may show favour to me, to my sons and my descendants and I sign my name on the day aforesaid.