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.

Don Diego de Castro Titu Cusi Yupanqui.

To Don Lope Garcia de Castro,

Having received letters from your Lordship, asking me to become a Christian and saying that it would conduce to the security of the country, I enquired of Diego Rodriguez and Martin de Pando, who was the principal monk among those who were in Cuzco, and who were the most approved and of most weight among the religious orders. They replied that the most flourishing were those of St Augustine, and their Prior was the most important religious in Cuzco. Having heard this, I became more attached to the order of St Augustine than to any other. I wrote letters to the Prior, requesting him to come in person to baptize me, because I would rather be baptized by him than by anyone else. He took the trouble to come to my country and to baptize me, bringing with him another monk, and Gonzalo Perez de Vivero and Atilano de Anaya who arrived at Rayangalla on the 12th of August 1568, whither I came from Vilcapampa to receive baptism. There, in that village of Rayangalla, were the said Prior named Juan de Vivero and his companions. I was instructed in the things of the faith for a fortnight, at the end of which time, on the day of the famous Dr St Augustine, the Prior baptized me. My godfather was Gonzalo Perez de Vivero and my godmother Doña Angelina Zica Ocllo. After I was baptized the Prior remained for eight days to instruct me in the holy catholic church and to initiate me into its mysteries. He then departed with Gonzalo Perez de Vivero, leaving me a companion named Friar Marcos Garcia, that he might little by little instil into my mind what the Prior had taught, that I might not forget, and also to teach the word of God to the people of my land. Before he departed I explained to my followers the reason why I had been baptized, and had brought these people into my land. All replied that they rejoiced at my baptism, and that the friar should remain. In effect the friar did remain with me[80].

Diego Rodriguez de Figueroa. Notice.

Thin 4^to MS.

The manuscript of the Report of Diego Rodriguez de Figueroa on his mission to Titu Cusi Yupanqui Inca, came into the possession of Eugene Jacquet, a French orientalist, who gave it to Alexander von Humboldt, in 1833. Humboldt left it to the Royal Library at Berlin. The text was published by Dr Pietschmann of Göttingen in 1910.

Rodriguez came to Peru in about 1552. The Count of Nieva, Viceroy from 1561 to 1564, appointed him Defensor de todos los Indios.

Rodriguez took part in the subjugation of Vilcapampa by order of the Viceroy Toledo in 1571, and an encomienda of 100 Indians was given to him, in that province, where he was Alguazil Mayor. He was there four years, but quarrelled with the Governor. In a petition to the Viceroy Don Martin Henriquez, successor to Toledo (1 Dec. 1582), Rodriguez mentions that he has five daughters and three sons, that he had lived many years at Potosi, and had fought in three battles for the King. He had occupied himself with writings and pictures representing the history of the Incas and all sorts of reports and memoirs. He had been Corregidor of Potosi.