Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Encyclopedia
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro (c. 1492, Izagre
, León
, Spain
—1566, Valladolid
, Spain) was a Spanish
colonial administrator in Peru.
. He married María Magdalena de Quiñones y Osorio, and had eight children with her. In 1536 he was named oidor (judge) in the Royal Audiencia of Valladolid. On September 9, 1540 he was named a knight of the Order of Santiago
.
to restore order between the factions of Gonzalo Pizarro
and Diego Almagro the Younger after the assassination of Diego de Almagro the Elder
. Vaca de Castro had a reputation as a man of integrity, sagacity, and courage. His official title was juez pesquisidor (special investigator). He was authorized to take over the government of the colony in the event of the death of Francisco Pizarro
.
He sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda
on November 5, 1540, and arrived in Panama
in January 1541. While he was there, he reformed the Audiencia, as its president. He sailed for Peru, but was forced by bad weather to land at Buenaventura
(Colombia). He proceeded from Buenaventura by land to Cali
, where he remained three months because of illness. While in Cali, he mediated in a jurisdictional dispute between Sebastián de Belalcázar
and Pascual de Andagoya
.
he learned of the assassination of Francisco Pizarro and the election of Diego de Almagro as governor. He arrived in Quito
on September 25, 1541, where he united the royalist forces behind him.
Having made himself governor of the colony, he raised a considerable number of troops. Supported by Francisco de Carvajal
, he defeated Almagro on September 16, 1542 in the plains of Chupas. Almagro tried to flee after the defeat, but was taken prisoner. Pressured by the Pizarristas, Vaca de Castro ordered his execution.
The New Laws
were passed in 1542. They were intended to ban the most obvious abuses of the encomienda
system, and eventually abolish the system all together. The New Laws caused difficulty for Vaca de Castro with Gonzalo Pizarro and other supporters of the old system. Vaca de Castro agreed to present their case to the Crown. Thereafter he concentrated his efforts on developing the country, through improving the means of communication, regulating the inns for cross-country travel, and overseeing the use of labor in the mines.
In 1543 he sent Diego de Rojas
and 200 men to the Río de la Plata
. The discovery of Tucumán is credited to this expedition.
, in 1544. Núñez Vela had him arrested on charges of sympathizing with the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro. He was imprisoned in El Callao
, then sent by ship to Panama, and then on to Spain. In Spain, he was imprisoned on charges of illegal enrichment, but after three years in prison he was cleared of the charges. Later he was named commander of the Order of Santiago. He was president of the Council of Castile
between 1557 and 1561.
He retired to the convent of San Agustín in Valladolid
, where he died in 1566. He was interred in the convent.
Izagre
Izagre is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 214 inhabitants....
, León
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
, Spain
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...
—1566, Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain) was a Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
colonial administrator in Peru.
Background
Vaca de Castro's parents were García Díaz de Castro and Giomar Cabeza de Vaca. He studied law in SalamancaSalamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
. He married María Magdalena de Quiñones y Osorio, and had eight children with her. In 1536 he was named oidor (judge) in the Royal Audiencia of Valladolid. On September 9, 1540 he was named a knight of the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
.
The road to Peru
In 1540 he was sent by Emperor Charles VCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
to restore order between the factions of Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
and Diego Almagro the Younger after the assassination of Diego de Almagro the Elder
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...
. Vaca de Castro had a reputation as a man of integrity, sagacity, and courage. His official title was juez pesquisidor (special investigator). He was authorized to take over the government of the colony in the event of the death 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:...
.
He sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
on November 5, 1540, and arrived in 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...
in January 1541. While he was there, he reformed the Audiencia, as its president. He sailed for Peru, but was forced by bad weather to land at Buenaventura
Buenaventura, Colombia
Buenaventura is a port city and municipality located in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia . Buenaventura is the main port of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean....
(Colombia). He proceeded from Buenaventura by land to Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, where he remained three months because of illness. While in Cali, he mediated in a jurisdictional dispute between Sebastián de Belalcázar
Sebastián de Belalcázar
Sebastián de Belalcázar was a Spanish conquistador.-Early life:He was born Sebastián Moyano in the province of Córdoba, Spain, in either 1479 or 1480. He took the name Belalcázar as that was the name of the castle-town near to his birthplace in Córdoba...
and Pascual de Andagoya
Pascual de Andagoya
Pascual de Andagoya was a Spanish Basque conquistador. He was born in the village of Andagoya, in the valley of Cuartango , in Spain....
.
As governor of Peru
Still on the road to Peru, in PopayánPopayán
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
he learned of the assassination of Francisco Pizarro and the election of Diego de Almagro as governor. He arrived in 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...
on September 25, 1541, where he united the royalist forces behind him.
Having made himself governor of the colony, he raised a considerable number of troops. Supported by Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal was a Spanish military officer, conquistador, and explorer remembered as "the demon of the Andes" due to his brutality and uncanny military skill in the Peruvian civil wars of the 16th century....
, he defeated Almagro on September 16, 1542 in the plains of Chupas. Almagro tried to flee after the defeat, but was taken prisoner. Pressured by the Pizarristas, Vaca de Castro ordered his execution.
The New Laws
New Laws
The New Laws, in Spanish Leyes Nuevas, issued November 20, 1542 by King Charles V of Spain regarding the Spanish colonization of the Americas, are also known as the "New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians", and were created to prevent the exploitation of the...
were passed in 1542. They were intended to ban the most obvious abuses of the encomienda
Encomienda
The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....
system, and eventually abolish the system all together. The New Laws caused difficulty for Vaca de Castro with Gonzalo Pizarro and other supporters of the old system. Vaca de Castro agreed to present their case to the Crown. Thereafter he concentrated his efforts on developing the country, through improving the means of communication, regulating the inns for cross-country travel, and overseeing the use of labor in the mines.
In 1543 he sent Diego de Rojas
Diego de Rojas
Diego de Rojas was a 16th century Spanish Conquistador. He was born in Burgos and traveled to the city of Santo Domingo in 1516. In 1522 went to Mexico under the command of Hernan Cortes, and subsequently formed part of the conquistador army of Pedro de Alvarado, participating in the conquests of...
and 200 men to the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
. The discovery of Tucumán is credited to this expedition.
Return to Spain
He was succeeded by the first viceroy of Peru, Blasco Núñez VelaBlasco Núñez Vela
Blasco Núñez Vela y Villalba was the first Spanish viceroy of Peru, from May 15, 1544 to January 18, 1546. He was charged by King Charles I with the enforcement of the controversial New Laws, which dealt with the failure of the encomienda system to protect the indigenous people of America from the...
, in 1544. Núñez Vela had him arrested on charges of sympathizing with the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro. He was imprisoned in El Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
, then sent by ship to Panama, and then on to Spain. In Spain, he was imprisoned on charges of illegal enrichment, but after three years in prison he was cleared of the charges. Later he was named commander of the Order of Santiago. He was president of the Council of Castile
Council of Castile
The Council of Castile , known earlier as the Royal Council , was a ruling body and key part of the domestic government of the Crown of Castile, second only to the monarch himself. It was established under Queen Isabella I in 1480 as the chief body dealing with administrative and judicial matters...
between 1557 and 1561.
He retired to the convent of San Agustín in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, where he died in 1566. He was interred in the convent.