Battle of Punta Quemada
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Punta Quemada, fought sometime in January 1525, was a brief but deadly encounter between a band of Spanish
conquistador
s and the warlike natives
of Colombia
, thought to be a northern tributary tribe to the Andean
Kingdom of Quito
, subordinate to and as well northern capital of the Inca Empire
. Though it marked the end of Francisco Pizarro
's first tentative expedition along the Pacific coast, the battle also represented a crucial step to Spain's discovery and conquest of the Inca Empire
.
For weeks before their landfall at Punta Quemada, Pizarro and his company had, both on sea
and on land, steadily crawled southward along the coast of Colombia, enduring both the inhospitality of the terrain and the dangers of tropical tempests. Famine and fatigue alike had ravaged the group, leaving several dead and many on the brink of incapacitation, and only Pizarro's personal charisma and the iron constitution of the Castilians
had kept the crew from collapsing into mutiny and despair.
Upon reaching Punta Quemada, Pizarro, leading his men inland along unusually agreeable terrain, had discovered and occupied a large native village, the residents of which, to all appearances, had fled in terror at the sight of the Europeans. Delighted at the luck of having established quarters in such a defensible position, and mindful that his battered vessel
out on the shore would not carry him much farther, Pizarro elected to send a contingent of men under Lieutenant Montenegro back to Panama
for repairs and supplies while his own troops manned the village ramparts
and awaited the arrival of Diego de Almagro
, whose own expeditionary force, following the path of Pizarro's, was bound to arrive shortly.
But the Quitians were proud warriors and, contrary to Spanish assessment, had abandoned their settlement only to see their women and children to safety. Armed with bows
, slings
, and spear
s, they had closely monitored the invaders and gathered unseen in the jungle in preparation for an attack.
Montenegro's column, the more vulnerable of the two Castilian parties, fell into a Quitian ambush
just as it emerged from the heavy jungle foliage onto Andean foothills where arrows and other projectile
s could fly unobstructed. A Quitian war cry struck the Spaniards, followed by a massive volley of arrows and stones. The Castilians began to fall back in panic and disarray as the natives bore down upon them.
Montenegro, rallying his men, ordered a return volley at the onrushing Quitians. The Spaniards shredded the native charge with a flurry of crossbow
bolts, then brandished their own swords and sounded a furious countercharge, felling the unarmoured Quitians and routing them into the hills.
The Quitians orchestrated a similar assault on Pizarro's camp and stormed the village, unleashing a shower of missiles at the defenders. Prescott recounts that Pizarro, too bold and fiery of temper to be held inside a set of walls by enemy fire, sallied out to meet the threat, rousing his men into a valiant charge that overtook the natives and began driving them clear. But Pizarro, in his gallantry, singled himself out as leader, and the enemy warriors, seizing the opportunity, hurled a barrage of missiles before falling upon him with renewed vigor. Overborne by the ferocity of their assault, Pizarro struggled furiously to push the natives back at sword point.
Montenegro, fearing for his leader, had ordered an immediate march back to camp. He now appeared at the edge of the ridge and dove into the rear of the Quitian formations, shattering their resolve. Unable to resist this new threat, the natives fled into the jungle, leaving Pizarro wounded in no less than seven places.
The conquistadors realized that the village was far less defensible than they had previously assumed, and fearing subsequent hostile encounters and unable to continue south by sea, Pizarro chose to end his expedition at Punta Quemada.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s and the warlike natives
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, thought to be a northern tributary tribe to the Andean
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
Kingdom of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, subordinate to and as well northern capital of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
. Though it marked the end of Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
's first tentative expedition along the Pacific coast, the battle also represented a crucial step to Spain's discovery and conquest of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
.
For weeks before their landfall at Punta Quemada, Pizarro and his company had, both on sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
and on land, steadily crawled southward along the coast of Colombia, enduring both the inhospitality of the terrain and the dangers of tropical tempests. Famine and fatigue alike had ravaged the group, leaving several dead and many on the brink of incapacitation, and only Pizarro's personal charisma and the iron constitution of the Castilians
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
had kept the crew from collapsing into mutiny and despair.
Upon reaching Punta Quemada, Pizarro, leading his men inland along unusually agreeable terrain, had discovered and occupied a large native village, the residents of which, to all appearances, had fled in terror at the sight of the Europeans. Delighted at the luck of having established quarters in such a defensible position, and mindful that his battered vessel
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
out on the shore would not carry him much farther, Pizarro elected to send a contingent of men under Lieutenant Montenegro back to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
for repairs and supplies while his own troops manned the village ramparts
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
and awaited the arrival of Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro, , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro. He participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru and is credited as the first European discoverer of Chile.Almagro lost his left eye battling with coastal...
, whose own expeditionary force, following the path of Pizarro's, was bound to arrive shortly.
But the Quitians were proud warriors and, contrary to Spanish assessment, had abandoned their settlement only to see their women and children to safety. Armed with bows
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
, slings
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
, and spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s, they had closely monitored the invaders and gathered unseen in the jungle in preparation for an attack.
Montenegro's column, the more vulnerable of the two Castilian parties, fell into a Quitian ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
just as it emerged from the heavy jungle foliage onto Andean foothills where arrows and other projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
s could fly unobstructed. A Quitian war cry struck the Spaniards, followed by a massive volley of arrows and stones. The Castilians began to fall back in panic and disarray as the natives bore down upon them.
Montenegro, rallying his men, ordered a return volley at the onrushing Quitians. The Spaniards shredded the native charge with a flurry of crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
bolts, then brandished their own swords and sounded a furious countercharge, felling the unarmoured Quitians and routing them into the hills.
The Quitians orchestrated a similar assault on Pizarro's camp and stormed the village, unleashing a shower of missiles at the defenders. Prescott recounts that Pizarro, too bold and fiery of temper to be held inside a set of walls by enemy fire, sallied out to meet the threat, rousing his men into a valiant charge that overtook the natives and began driving them clear. But Pizarro, in his gallantry, singled himself out as leader, and the enemy warriors, seizing the opportunity, hurled a barrage of missiles before falling upon him with renewed vigor. Overborne by the ferocity of their assault, Pizarro struggled furiously to push the natives back at sword point.
Montenegro, fearing for his leader, had ordered an immediate march back to camp. He now appeared at the edge of the ridge and dove into the rear of the Quitian formations, shattering their resolve. Unable to resist this new threat, the natives fled into the jungle, leaving Pizarro wounded in no less than seven places.
The conquistadors realized that the village was far less defensible than they had previously assumed, and fearing subsequent hostile encounters and unable to continue south by sea, Pizarro chose to end his expedition at Punta Quemada.