Pedro Pizarro
Encyclopedia
Pedro Pizarro was a Spanish
chronicler and conquistador
. He took part in most events of the Spanish conquest of Peru and wrote an extensive chronicle of them under the title Relación del descubrimiento y conquista de los reinos del Perú ("Relation of the discovery and conquest of the kingdoms of Peru"), which he finished in 1571.
. Through his father he was first cousin of Francisco Pizarro
and his half-brothers: Gonzalo Pizarro
, Hernando Pizarro
, Juan Pizarro and Martín de Alcántara. When Francisco left Spain for his third expedition to Peru he was joined by his brothers and his cousin Pedro. They sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda
on February 1530 and arrived at Tumbes in what is now Peru on January 1531. Pedro initially served as page
to his cousin Francisco but from about 1533 he was in active military service as a cavalryman. As such he took part in most of the chief events of the conquest of the Inca empire
, mainly during the campaigns against Manco Inca.
Pedro Pizarro fought at the Battle of Las Salinas
(April 26, 1538) against Diego de Almagro
, rival and former partner of Francisco Pizarro. He then took part in the foundation of the city of Arequipa
(August 15, 1540) where he established himself. The almagristas revolted again in 1541, murdering Francisco Pizarro, so Pedro Pizarro fought them at the Battle of Chupas
(September 16, 1542) under the command of Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
. When Gonzalo Pizarro revolted against the Spanish Crown, Pedro Pizarro refused his requests to join his rebellion. However, his loyalty was put in doubt for a letter he wrote to his cousin on December 18, 1546, which shows some vacillations in his loyalty probably prompted by material considerations. This letter fell into the hands of Pedro de la Gasca
, an envoy sent by the Crown to pacify the country. La Gasca used the letter as an excuse to deny Pedro Pizarro the rewards he claimed after the Battle of Xaquixaguana (April 9, 1548) where Gonzalo Pizarro was defeated.
Despite this rebuff, Pedro Pizarro could be considered a rich and well-rewarded man. On November 28, 1538, he had received from Francisco Pizarro lands and native workers in Arequipa, Tacna
and other regions; he received further grants from time to time by various authorities. When he was very young, he fathered a natural daughter, Isabel Pizarro; he later had numerous legitimate children. Pedro Pizarro married twice: his first wife was María Cornejo, but nothing is known about his second wife. The death date of Pedro Pizarro is not known. It happened after 1571 when he finished writing his chronicle and could have taken place as late as 1602 when viceroy Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas
made a grant to a Pedro Pizarro, however, this Pedro may have been a son of the chronicler.
. The work remained in manuscript until its inclusion in the fifth volume of the Colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de España, published in 1844 in Madrid. The first English translation was published by Philip A. Means in 1921 in New York; the standard modern edition in Spanish is that edited by Guillermo Lohmann Villena in 1978 in Lima.
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...
chronicler and 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...
. He took part in most events of the Spanish conquest of Peru and wrote an extensive chronicle of them under the title Relación del descubrimiento y conquista de los reinos del Perú ("Relation of the discovery and conquest of the kingdoms of Peru"), which he finished in 1571.
Biography
Pedro Pizarro was born around 1515 in the Spanish city of ToledoToledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
. Through his father he was first cousin 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:...
and his half-brothers: 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...
, Hernando Pizarro
Hernándo Pizarro
Hernando Pizarro y de Vargas was a Spanish conquistador and one of the Pizarro brothers who ruled over Peru...
, Juan Pizarro and Martín de Alcántara. When Francisco left Spain for his third expedition to Peru he was joined by his brothers and his cousin Pedro. They 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 February 1530 and arrived at Tumbes in what is now Peru on January 1531. Pedro initially served as page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
to his cousin Francisco but from about 1533 he was in active military service as a cavalryman. As such he took part in most of the chief events of the conquest of the Inca empire
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. This historic process of military conquest was made by Spanish conquistadores and their native allies....
, mainly during the campaigns against Manco Inca.
Pedro Pizarro fought at the Battle of Las Salinas
Battle of Las Salinas
The Battle of Las Salinas was a military conflict and decisive confrontation between the forces of Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro against those of rival conquistador Diego de Almagro, on April 26, 1538, during the Conquest of Peru...
(April 26, 1538) against 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...
, rival and former partner of Francisco Pizarro. He then took part in the foundation of the city of Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
(August 15, 1540) where he established himself. The almagristas revolted again in 1541, murdering Francisco Pizarro, so Pedro Pizarro fought them at the Battle of Chupas
Battle of Chupas
After the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, in retaliation for his father's execution in 1538, Diego de Almagro II, El Mozo, continued to press claims as the rightful ruler of Peru and as leader of his father's supporters...
(September 16, 1542) under the command of Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro was a Spanish colonial administrator in Peru.-Background:...
. When Gonzalo Pizarro revolted against the Spanish Crown, Pedro Pizarro refused his requests to join his rebellion. However, his loyalty was put in doubt for a letter he wrote to his cousin on December 18, 1546, which shows some vacillations in his loyalty probably prompted by material considerations. This letter fell into the hands of Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca was a Spanish bishop, diplomat and the second viceroy of Peru, from April 10, 1547 to January 27, 1550....
, an envoy sent by the Crown to pacify the country. La Gasca used the letter as an excuse to deny Pedro Pizarro the rewards he claimed after the Battle of Xaquixaguana (April 9, 1548) where Gonzalo Pizarro was defeated.
Despite this rebuff, Pedro Pizarro could be considered a rich and well-rewarded man. On November 28, 1538, he had received from Francisco Pizarro lands and native workers in Arequipa, Tacna
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
and other regions; he received further grants from time to time by various authorities. When he was very young, he fathered a natural daughter, Isabel Pizarro; he later had numerous legitimate children. Pedro Pizarro married twice: his first wife was María Cornejo, but nothing is known about his second wife. The death date of Pedro Pizarro is not known. It happened after 1571 when he finished writing his chronicle and could have taken place as late as 1602 when viceroy Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas , Spanish nobleman, son of the second viceroy of New Spain, and himself the eighth viceroy. He governed from January 27, 1590 to November 4, 1595, and again from July 2, 1607 to June 10, 1611...
made a grant to a Pedro Pizarro, however, this Pedro may have been a son of the chronicler.
Pizarro's Relación
Based on his personal observation from 1531 to 1555, Pedro Pizarro wrote a chronicle of the Spanish conquest of Peru, which he completed in 1571 under the title Relación del descubrimiento y conquista de los reinos del Perú ("Relation of the discovery and conquest of the kingdoms of Peru"). The manuscript of Relación that was at the National Library of Spain, however, been lost and the only remaining copy is located at The Huntington LibraryThe Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is an educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington in San Marino, in the San Rafael Hills near Pasadena, California in the United States...
. The work remained in manuscript until its inclusion in the fifth volume of the Colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de España, published in 1844 in Madrid. The first English translation was published by Philip A. Means in 1921 in New York; the standard modern edition in Spanish is that edited by Guillermo Lohmann Villena in 1978 in Lima.
External links
- Relación del descubrimiento y conquista de los reinos del Perú catalog entry at the Huntington Library. Relación del descubrimiento y conquista de los reinos del Perú (1844 edition) at Google Book Search.