Note 61 — LETTER OF FRIAR JUAN SOLANO, BISHOP OF CUZCO[59] TO THE KING

As many as 25 mounted men deserted the Viceroy and rode out of Lima in the night. These were Baltasar de Castilla, Lorenzo Sebastian and Baltasar de Castilla were the brother and son of the Conde de Gomera. The family was closely connected with the Canary Islands by the marriage of Don Diego Ayala y Herrera with Inez, daughter and princess of Fernan Perasa, Lord of the Canary Islands. Their grandson Guillen Perasa de Ayala was created Count of Gomera by Charles V. He married Maria de Castilla and these younger sons used the surname of Castilla. Sebastian, the youngest, was the murderer of Hinojosa and was soon afterwards murdered, in his turn, by his own men. Baltasar joined the Almagro party, after the assassination of Pizarro, and was on that side at the battle of Chupas, Sept. 15, Mexia, Rodrigo de Salazar el Corcovedo, Francisco de Escobedo, Francisco de Carbajal, Pedro Martin de Sicilia (or de Don Benito), and Diego and Jeronimo de Carbajal, nephews of the Factor. Salazar was the man who had apprehended the younger Almagro at Cuzco. They seized some papers in charge of the priest Loaysa, whom they overtook. These letters made it clear that there was correspondence with the Viceroy and treachery in the camp of Gonzalo Pizarro. It was thought necessary to make examples of the traitors. Gaspar de Rojas, Felipe Gutierrez, and a Galician named Arias de Maldonado were at Guamanga. Pedro de Puelles, by Gonzalo’s order, arrested and beheaded them. Gaspar Rodriguez de Camporedondo was a double-dyed traitor. He was in Gonzalo’s camp at the head of 200 pikemen. Carbajal arrested him and he was beheaded without delay.

1542. With Gonzalo at Añaquito, and sent with Hinojosa to Panama. A captain of infantry at Sacsahuana, April 9, 1548. Received the repartimiento of Parinocochas. He gave the supper at Cuzco when his niece married Alonso de Loaysa, Nov. 13, 1553. Giron broke in and killed one or two of the supper party. He put Castilla to death for trying to escape to Lima. Castilla was a chief citizen of Cuzco, and there are descendants.