About this time the Indians under the command of Paullu the brother of Inca Manco Capac, attacked the left wing of the royalists with repeated vollies of stones and arrows, but were soon put to flight by a few discharges from the musqueteers. Martin Cote who commanded a company of musqueteers on the side of Almagro, advanced to that side and began to skirmish with the adverse musqueteers of Nunno de Castro. At this time the royalists, advancing slowly and in good order to the music of their drums and trumpets, made their appearance on the height, where they halted as waiting an opportunity to charge, in hopes that the incessant discharge from the artillery of the enemy might relax. Although now so near, the rebel artillery did them very little harm, as having to point upwards, most of their balls flew too high, whereas if the royalists had advanced only twenty paces farther, they would have been exposed to point blank shot. The infantry indeed of the royalists suffered materially at this time, as they were more directly exposed to the shot, insomuch that by one ball a whole file of seventeen men was brought down. This made a wide gap in the battalion, which the officers took care immediately to fill up. The serjeant-major, Francisco de Carvajal, still held back the royalist cavalry from the charge, waiting for some relaxation in the fury of the adverse artillery, by which the captains Pedro Alvarez Holguin and Gomez de Tordoya were both slain, and several others were killed and wounded by every discharge. Captain Pedro de Vergara being wounded by a musket shot, exclaimed loudly against the conduct of the cavalry, saying that all the infantry would be speedily destroyed if the cavalry did not charge the enemy. The trumpets immediately sounded a charge, and the royalist squadrons advanced, on which those of Don Diego moved forward to meet them courageously. The shock was so violent that almost all the lances on both sides were broken, and many horsemen of both armies were borne to the ground, some killed and others wounded. A bloody engagement succeeded this charge, in which they fought man to man with swords, maces and battle axes; some even of the cavalry being armed with large woodmens axes which they wielded in both hands, gave such heavy blows as no armour could withstand. After continuing the battle with great fury till both sides were out of breath, they drew off for a little.
In the meantime the royalist infantry advanced against those of Don Diego, encouraged by the exhortations and example of Carvajal who marched at their head. "Be not afraid, said he, of the artillery: I, who am as large as any two of you, do not fear it, and you all see how many bullets pass by without hurting me." That his soldiers might not conceive that he confided in the goodness of his armour, he threw away his coat of mail and helmet, and advanced in this manner to the rebel cannon; and being bravely seconded by his men, he soon got possession of them all, killing several of those who guarded them, after which he turned them against the enemy. By this vigorous, and successful exploit, the event of the battle was in a great measure decided. The day was now ended, and the evening became so dark that the opponents could hardly distinguish each other except by the voice. After a short rest, the cavalry renewed the fight, and victory began to lean to the side of the royalists, when Vaca de Castro made a furious assault on the left of the enemy, where two troops belonging to Don Diego still kept their ground, while all the rest began to fall back. On charging the enemy, the governor exclaimed, Vittoria! Vittoria! Yet the battle continued undecided for some time, and several of the horsemen who followed Vaca de Castro were wounded and unhorsed, two gentlemen and several others being slain. The rebels were at last thrown into disorder and fled from the field, being pursued for some distance. Two of their officers, named Bilboa and de Sosa, were so enraged on seeing the defeat and flight of their companions, that they rushed like madmen into the thickest of the enemy, crying out I am he who killed the marquis, till both were slain. 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; and a hundred and fifty horse, who made their escape to Guamanga, about two leagues from the field of battle, were disarmed and made prisoners by the small number of inhabitants who remained in that city. Don Diego fled to Cuzco, where Rodrigo de Salazar, his own lieutenant, and Antonio Ruyz de Guevara, one of the magistrates made him prisoner. Thus ended the authority of Don Diego Almagro, who one day was lord and master of the great kingdom of Peru, and the next day was thrown into prison by officers of his own appointment. This decisive battle of Chupaz was fought on the 16th September 1542.
A great part of the night was over before their officers could reassemble the victorious army, as the soldiers were busied in pillaging the tents of the rebels, where they got a rich plunder in silver and gold, and killed several of the wounded fugitives who were unable to continue their flight any farther. When all were reassembled, Vaca de Castro made the army remain all the rest of the night under arms and in order of battle, lest the enemy might rally and renew the fight. Vaca de Castro employed himself likewise during most part of the night in going about among the troops, praising the whole in general, and thanking the individual soldiers for having so bravely done their duty. In this battle several officers and soldiers on both sides signalized themselves remarkably. Don Diego distinguished himself particularly, shewing much courage, and more conduct than could have been expected from a young man only twenty-two years of age[11]. He was animated by what he considered a just vengeance for the death of his father; and was well seconded by many of his followers. Many of those on the side of Vaca de Castro, were on the contrary incited by the desire of avenging the death of the marquis, for whose memory they preserved an inviolable attachment, insomuch that no danger could prevent them from using their utmost efforts to punish his murderers. On the two sides, about 300 men were slain[12], among whom were several officers and men of note. Pedro Alvarez Holguin and Gomez de Tordoya eminently distinguished themselves on the side of the royalists, having mantles of white velvet richly embroidered over their armour, owing to which they were particularly marked out by the musqueteers of the enemy, and both lost their lives in consequence. Alonso de Alvarado and Carvajal likewise distinguished themselves signally, particularly the latter, as already mentioned, in a manner that it seemed almost impossible he should have escaped. But by despising death, he appeared to have made it flee from him; as indeed it often happens during great dangers, that those who meet them bravely are preserved, while those who shrink are lost. A signal instance of this happened in the present battle, as a young man who was afraid of the balls concealed himself behind a projecting rock; where his head was shattered to pieces by a splinter driven off by a cannon ball[13]. Many others signalized themselves in the battle, to most of whom the governor gave competent estates in lands and Indians, when he made the re-partition of the country, adding his warm acknowledgements for having resigned their individual interests and resentments in the service of the crown.
[11] Garcilasso, himself a mestee, says that Don Diego was the bravest Mestizo, or son of a Spaniard by an Indian woman, that ever the New World produced.--E.
[12] According to Garcilasso, of 1500 combatants, including both sides, 500 men were slain, and about an equal number wounded; the royalists having 500 killed and 400 wounded, while the rebels had only 200 slain and 100 wounded. In this estimate he has surely made a material error, as he makes the killed and wounded of the royalists equal to the whole number thay had in the field.--E.
[13] At this place, a naked list of a great number of names of those who signalized themselves in the battle, are enumerated by Zarate, but omitted here as altogether uninteresting.--E.
The night after the battle was extremely frosty, and as the baggage was considerably in the rear, only two of the wounded officers had their wounds dressed, so that a good many of the wounded died of cold during the night. Next morning, the governor caused every attention to be given to the wounded, who exceeded four hundred in number[14], and had the dead buried, ordering the bodies of Holguin and Tordoya to be carried to the city of Guamanga, where they were magnificently interred. On the day succeeding the battle, the governor ordered the heads of several prisoners to be cut off, who had been concerned in the murder of the marquis. Next day he went to Guamanga, where Captain Diego de Royas had already beheaded Juan Tello and some other captains of the rebels. The governor now gave orders to the licentiate de la Gama to try the rest of the prisoners, and to punish them according to their deserts. De la Gama accordingly hanged several and beheaded others, to the number of forty of the most culpable, insomuch that in all about sixty were executed. Some others were banished, and the rest were pardoned, such of them as had settlements being allowed to return to their houses.
[14] This appears to countenance the account of Garcilasso in a former note, who probably quoted from Zarate; but the latter does not limit this number to the royal troops.--E.
The governor went afterwards to Cuzco, where he brought Don Diego to trial, and ordered him to be beheaded. Diego de Mendez, Gomez Perez, and another, made their escape from prison into the mountains of the Andes, where they were kindly received by Manco Capac the fugitive Inca, who had taken refuge in an inaccessible country. The Inca was much grieved on learning the death of Don Diego, whom he was greatly attached to, and to whom he had sent several coats of mail, corselets, cuirasses, and other arms, which he had taken from the Spaniards whom he defeated and slew, at the time when he went by order of the marquis to relieve Gonzalo and Juan Pizarro, then besieged in Cuzco.
After the death of Don Diego and the entire dispersion of his adherents, by which peace was restored through the whole country, the governor did not consider it proper to disband his army, as he had not sufficient funds to reward them according to their services; for which reason he resolved to send them in different detachments to make discoveries and conquests. Captain Vergara and his troops were accordingly sent back to complete the conquest of the Bracamoras. The Captains Diego de Royas and Philip Gutierez were sent with above three hundred men to the eastwards, where they afterwards made some establishments on the Rio de la Plata. Captain Monroy was sent to Chili with reinforcements to Pedro de Valdivia, who was engaged in reducing that country. Captain Juan Perez de Guevara was sent to reduce the country of Mullobamba which he had discovered. This is an exceedingly mountainous country, in which the two great rivers Marannon and La Plata have their sources, both of which run into the Atlantic. Its inhabitants are Caribs, or canibals, and their country so hot that they go entirely naked, or at least have only a few rags round their loins. While in this country, Juan Perez got notice of an extensive province beyond the mountains towards the north, in which there are rich gold mines, and which has camels and fowls like those of New Spain, and a species of sheep considerably smaller than those of Peru. In that country it is necessary to water all kinds of seeds regularly, as it seldom rains. In it there is a lake, the environs of which are exceedingly populous. In all its rivers there are certain fishes as large as dogs, which they likewise very much resemble, which kill and eat the Indians when they go into the water or even pass near it, as they often come out of the water and walk on the dry land[15]. This great country is bounded on the north by the Marannon, on the east by Brasil, and on the south by the Rio de la Plata; and it is said that the Amazons dwell in this country, of whom Orellana received intelligence while descending the Marannon.