Sunday, September 11, 2011

Peru

During invasion in Peru, a tyrant destroyed towns, killed and robbed the people of quantities of gold. The native ruler of all these mainland provinces, Atubaliba, came with his numerous attendants. He and his followers were all naked and carried only mock weapons, knowing nothing of swords and pikes, how they could wound, knowing nothing about horses, how they could run, or of what kind of men were these Spaniards who would attack.

This native king arrived and called out: "Where are these Spaniards? Let them come out, for I will not move from here until they recompense me for the vassals they have taken from me or killed, and for the towns they have destroyed and the wealth they have taken from me!" The Spaniards came out and assaulted his followers, killing many, after which they captured the ruler and demanded a ransom of four million castellanos. He gave them 15million castellanos. Despite all this, Spaniards condemned him to be burned alive. As he heard this sentence pronounced, this Indian ruler asked: "Why will you burn me? What have I done? Did you not promise to release me if I gave gold to you? And did I not give you more than you asked for? But since this is what you want, then send me to your King". And he said many other things of this kind, in confusion and revolt against the great injustice of the Spaniards. And finally they burned him.

Spaniards tortured with sharpened reeds and then killed a great queen, the wife of Inca, King of all these realms which the Christians seized and laid waste. And they took the queen, his wife, and against all justice and reason killed her, even though it is said that she was with child, for the sole reason to cause suffering to her husband.

Fray Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar who was present in Peru from the beginning of the invasion and who had witnessed a few attrocities committed against Indians, has recorded them in a letter to the Bishop of Mexico.

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