683 / 1060
· .Royal Commentaries.
B 0 0
K
IV.
I
C HA
P.
l.
Of
the
Accidents which
befeO
the Vice-1<.ing
Blafco Nunnez
Vela
Jo
foon as he landed
on
the Continent and
on
the Con–
fines of
Peru.
I
N the preceding
Hillory
we have given a
Relation
of
the
hal?PY
and
prof~
rous
State
of Affairs in the Kingdom
of
Mexico,
caufed
by ilie Moderation,
'Nifedom .and good Cond.uet
Qf
the Vifttor
Dan Francifto
TeOo
de
S11ndoval:
We
are
now ,
on the contrary obliged o make a Relation of the Ruines,
Slaughters and other
Calamities
of
the Empire
of
Peru,
caufed by the
Rigour,
Severity and Evil dif
pofition
of
the
Vice-king
Blafco
N1mne~
Pela
,
wbo
fo
obfU..·
nately ., againft the opinion and fenfe of all his Council and Officers, purfued
the
defign of
putting the
new Statutes
into practice ,
that for want of due
confide–
ratlon of what might conduce to his Majefiles fervice,
he
put
the whole well–
fue
of
the
Empire
into
danger : We have formerly mentioned
,
how that
the
two Fleets bound for
Peru
and
Mexico
feparated each from the other
in
the
Gulf
or
Bay
of
LM
Dama1;
and fteering thence a different courfe, the Vice-king
with
a
profperous
Wind
arrived
at
Nombre
de
Dio1,
on the 10th of
'/anuary
1
)44·
from
whence he
travailed to
Panama,
where he manumitted, or
fee
at liberty great num–
bers
of
Indians,
and freed them
from
their duty
and
fervitude to the
Spaniards,
who
had brought them &om
Peru,
and caufed them again
to
remm thither;
the
which
aetion was difpleafing and
ill
refented on all fides; for that
~he
Spaniards
were
highly
troubled to
be
deprived
of
the Va!falage
of
their
Indian
Servants whom
they had infirutl:ed and taught. co be indufirious: and they themfelves being ear–
ned
ChrifHans,
and inured co the
forvice
of the
Spaniards,
and
dome!Hcaced
in
their families, were unwillicg to quit their Mailers, And thoogh
it
was
ofren.
infiouated
to the Vice-king
tnat
th~
aetion woold prove co the differvice both of
God and the
King,
to exempt the
Jndian,1
from their
f
ervitude to the
Spani11rd.s
;
ia
regard
th~t
fuch
of
them
as had
declared and
profeffed
themfelves
Chrilfians ,.
could
not long
continue
in that
fiate;
but
fo
foon as
they
returned
to
the power
o_f their
Caciqu_u,
would
renou.nce
Chriftianity,
and
tevert
to
their
old
prin–
aples
and Sacrifices ro the Devil.
Moreover
~
they
reprefented
untO' him , chat
though his Maje!l:y ordained
that
the
Jndian.r
fhoukl be
fet
at liberty,
yet
he
com–
manded.,
that
~hey fhou~d
be free to refide where they
pleafed, and
not be for-,
ced agamfi
their
own
wills
to return nnto
Peru,
and with fo little Provifion and
ill
accommodation, that
it
was almoft impoffible for them
co·
be fuftained, buc
that mofr of them mufi:
yerHh
in
the
voyage thither: To
all
which
the
Vice-
p
pp p
king'
i
!
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