The Last Conquistador

by Stuart Stirling

  I wish Your Catholic Majesty to understand the motive that moves me to make this statement is the peace of my conscience and because of the guilt I share. For we have destroyed by our evil behaviour such a government as was enjoyed by these natives. They were so free from the committal of crimes and exorbitance, both men and women, that the Indian who possessed one hundred thousand pesos worth of gold or silver in his house left it open by merely placing a small stick across the door, as a sign he was out. And according to their custom no one could enter nor take anything that was there. And when they saw we put locks and keys on our doors they imagined it was from fear of them that they might not kill us, but not because they believed anyone would steal the property of another. So that when they discovered we had thieves among us, and men who sought to force their wives and daughters to commit sin with them, they despised us. But now they have come to such a pass in offence of God, owing to the bad example we have set them in all things, that these natives from doing no evil have changed into people who now do no good, or very little; something which must touch Your Majesty’s conscience as it does mine, as one of the first conquistadors and discoverers, and something that requires to be remedied. For now those who were once obeyed as kings and lords of these realms, as Incas with power and riches, have fallen to such poverty and necessity that they are the poorest of this kingdom and forced to perform the lowest and most menial of tasks, as porters of our goods and servants of our houses and as sweepers of our streets. And in accordance with the Viceroy Don Francisco de Toledo’s order, exempting them from such service if they acquired a trade, some of them are now shoe makers and work in similar such lowly occupations. And because many such things are permitted it is necessary for Your Majesty to be made aware of this for the sake of his conscience, and of the conscience of those who are guilty of such offences. I inform Your Majesty that there is no more I can do to alleviate these injustices other than by my words, in which I beg God to pardon me, for I am moved to say this, seeing that I am the last to die of the conquistadors and discoverers, as is well known, and that there is no one left but myself, in this kingdom or out of it. And now I have unburdened my conscience of this, I declare and order my will and testament in the following order:

  Firstly, I wish to offer my soul to God, Our Lord, who gave it life and who replenished it through His Passion and with His Most Precious Blood, and order that my body be placed in the earth from where it was formed . . .

  I order my body be buried in the convent of San Agustín of this city, in the chapel of the Brotherhood of San Nicolás and Santa Lucía, and that my executors conform to this and donate to the convent a sum apart from the one thousand pesos of gold I have already donated for the offering of Masses for my soul, and which I order they adhere and comply with . . .

  I order my body be buried in the habit of San Agustín and that it be clothed in an old habit of one of the friars, and that a new habit be paid for and given him . . .

  I order on the day of my burial all the priests of the city offer a Mass for my soul, and that the cabildo of the Holy Church accompany my body, together with all the Brotherhoods of which I am a member, with four religious from each of the monasteries; and that they all offer Masses for my soul, and that their expenses be paid . . .

  I order a further two hundred Masses be offered for my soul, a hundred in San Nicolás de Tolentino and the other hundred as a requiem, and that the expenses of these be also paid . . .

  I order that when my body be interred a stone monument be placed with my coat of arms and with a large cross, and that a lighted taper be hung over it in perpetuity, and that it will also be the burial place of my heirs . . .

  I order fifty Masses be offered for the conversion of the natives of this realm . . .

  I order twenty Masses be said for the souls of those for whom I have been responsible, and for those who are unknown to me . . .

  I order the said Masses be said in the convent of San Agustín, and that fifty of the Masses be said in the convent of Santo Domingo, and that all the expenses be paid . . .

  I order thirty pieces of eight be given to the poor of the hospital of the natives of this city . . .

  I order the caciques, Indians and community of Alca, my encomienda, be neither asked for nor pay any tribute during the feast of San Juan to that of Christmas at the end of the year, and I relieve them of this obligation . . .

  I declare that at the time of Cajamarca and of the distribution of treasures among the conquistadors that I, as one of them, was awarded two thousand pesos of gold, and that in the distribution in Cuzco, some eight thousand pesos, more or less. And that I was given the figure of the sun which was of gold and kept by the Incas in the house of the Sun, which is now the convent of Santo Domingo and where they practised their idolatry, which I believe was worth some two thousand pesos; all of which being some twelve thousand pesos of gold. And I wish my executors to record this sum for the peace of my conscience and to pay this exact sum from my estate . . .

  I declare the doctor Alegría treated in my house for almost a year, even though for short periods of time, and I order his heirs be paid whatever my executors deem fit . . .

  I order if any debts of mine by deed be made known they be paid, and that if anyone will swear I owe him even ten pesos he be also paid . . .

  I declare the lawyer Galín de Robles owes me one thousand pieces of eight I lent him. I order that this sum be recovered from him . . .

  I order that what is owed me by the corregidor of Cuntisuyo, in which province my encomienda is situated, be collected from him, for I believe he is still in debt to me for my having overpaid him for the doctrina at Alca and Potosí, and what he already owed me in the past . . .

  I declare that at the time my daughter Doña María de Leguizamón entered the convent of Santa Clara of this city, my wife and I bequeathed her with many jewels and finery, and later some seven hundred cattle, all of the greatest value and worth some two thousand pesos of gold; this I record so that the said convent will make no further demands on my estate . . .

  I declare that Gómez de Mazuelas, my father-in-law, made a gift to his grandchildren, my children, of twelve cows and a bull, and that I myself gave them cows and bulls for the purpose of breeding, and that I paid for their maintenance; and that of these cattle, part were gifted to the convent of Santa Clara because of the said Doña María, my daughter, and part to the monastery of Santo Domingo, where my son Jerónimo de Leguizamón was a friar. And that a part was also given to Mansio Serra de Leguizamón, my eldest son, together with other cattle I gave him. I record this so it be understood that their estate has received more than enough, and that the said Mansio received from me some two thousand pesos until his death, and that I provided for him and for his wife and children from the time of his marriage, which is some twenty years, so that his heirs be denied any further claim to my estate; for they have already received more than they were entitled . . .

  I declare my landed estates comprise of my house of abode and the other houses surrounding it, to the value of some eight thousand pesos of gold, more or less; some lands and fields of alfalfa in the valley of Tubembaque; in the township of Alca in my encomienda several houses, plantations and lands; and in the valley of this city and in that of Huanacauri a small estate for the breeding of goats and the manufacture of timber wood . . .

  I declare I own five bars of gold, three large and two of medium size, marked and stamped, that I believe are worth some three thousand pesos and which I order be taken and deposited in the convent of San Agustín, where they are to be kept safe until they be divided among my heirs . . .

  I declare I own in silver a large decorated urn and a smaller one, a serving dish and two bottles, also thirteen small plates and two jars, three spoons, a chamber pot, three salt cellars, a candelabra, a figure of the Saviour, all in silver, which I also entrust to the care of the Reverend Friar Juan Pacheco, Prior of the convent of San Agustín . . .

  I declare I am
still owed the tribute of my Indians of Alca, which is their payment for the Feast of San Juan of this year . . .

  I declare I own a tapestry, trunks, chairs, tables, beds, linen, a jewel case, a Negress, a horse, a coat of mail, a sword, a helmet of steel, and much other furniture and furnishings . . .

  I declare that a year after my death the slave Filipa, in the service of my daughter Doña Petronila de Leguizamón, shall be granted her freedom in perpetuity, and this I order by deed . . .

  I order Juan Fernández, mulatto, who has served me for many years, be given two hundred pieces of eight . . .

  I declare that for the time she has served me Francisca Montañesca be given from my estate one hundred and fifty pieces of eight . . .

  I declare Doña Paula de Leguizamón is my natural daughter, who I recognize as such and who lives in my house, and order she be given two thousand pieces of eight from my estate for her welfare . . .

  I declare that in the time of my youth I had a natural son Don Juan Serra de Leguizamón, now deceased, whose mother was Doña Beatriz Manco Cápac, youngest daughter of Huayna Cápac, once Emperor of these realms, and that I provided for his marriage and household, and that the Viceroy of those times the Marqués de Cañete awarded him the encomienda of the valley of Písac, for being my son and for having brought his cousin Diego Sayri Inca from the mountain of Vilcabamba. And that the Indians of the said encomienda now enjoy the lordship of Juan Serra de Leguizamón, my grandson, his son, and help in the maintenance of Doña Bernardina de Leguizamón, his sister and legitimate daughter of my son, who are my grandchildren. I beg them to pardon me, as I beg Your Catholic Majesty because of my past service to reward them in their lifetime, and this I ask humbly of so Catholic a king and lord . . .

  I declare my legitimate children from my marriage to Doña Lucía de Mazuelas, now deceased, to be Francisco Serra de Leguizamón, Doña Petronila de Leguizamón, Pablo Serra de Leguizamón, and Miguel de Leguizamón, all unmarried. And the said Doña María de Leguizamón, who is a nun, and Jerónimo de Leguizamón, Dominican friar, and Mansio Serra de Leguizamón, my eldest son, who has been dead now many years and married against my orders and wishes; leaving three legitimate children, the eldest of whom, Doña Lucía, who succeeds her father in accordance with the laws of our lord the king as my heir to the encomienda of Alca. And that regardless of my present state of poverty she has brought a law suit against me, and knowing as I do she will never look after my other children I have no recourse but to plead my past service to the Crown for their benefit.

  This I now plead in this hour of my death, as one of the discoverers and conquistadors of these realms whose service was of great value in those early days when we were lost in the hands of the natives, and much later at the time of their rebellions, as is well known; and who through his diligence and actions contributed to the pacification of this kingdom, and for which in that first year of the conquest I was granted by the Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro the encomienda of Alca; and that the province of Catanga and Callanga, being the richest in the realm and which he also granted me, he later found necessary to take from me and award to Paullu Inca, as successor of the Incas and lords of this realm, for siding against his brothers and family in the pacification of this kingdom. And that neither I, nor my children, have ever benefited from its surrender which I made for the good of the realm. And because of which I have been left poor with only the town of Alca of my province of Cuntisuyo, with which I have maintained my children, and from which income I helped pay towards the wars between the Spaniards, even though my province was on three occasions taken from me for my loyalty to Your Majesty, and of which the traitors enjoyed the tributes. So I have been forced to place one daughter in a convent, and the other, yet unmarried, in my house; for neither can I leave them or my other legitimate children enough to feed them for a year.

  Thus, I humbly beg His Royal Catholic Majesty the King Don Felipe, our lord, to take into his consideration my legitimate children, who I name as my universal heirs. And exclude from my estate my son Francisco, who on two occasions I have sent to Spain with expenses of ten thousand pesos in gold, and Mansio, my eldest son. And this I approve and ratify in the hope Your Majesty will consider these children of so loyal a vassal, who for the benefit of the Crown surrendered his provinces and who was never to benefit from the rewards of his efforts; this I beg Your Majesty for the peace of his conscience.

  I name as my executors the Reverend Friar the Prior of San Agustín, Don Bernardino de Lozada and Pablo Serra de Leguizamón, my legitimate son, who I give full power to sell or keep whatever goods for the compliance of this my will. And I declare it be my wish that the house of my abode be not sold by my executors and that my said children live there for the rest of their lives, and without anyone depriving them of that right. And by this will I make null and void a previous will I authorized before Antonio Sánchez, public notary, and whatever other testaments and agreements, either verbal or written; and that only this be recognized, written on nine pages, including this one, the first two in one hand, and the other six, and this page, in another, and I wish they be recognized as my last will and testament . . . And this I authorize before the Public Notary and witnesses in this city of Cuzco, in this my dwelling where I lie bedridden, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of Our Lord, Fifteen Hundred and Eighty Nine . . .

  APPENDIX 2

  PROBANZA DE MÉRITOS, LIMA, 1562

  The Conquistador Mansio Serra de Leguizamón’s testimonial of his past service, addressed to King Philip II, dated 1562. Archivo General de Indias, Seville, Patronato 126. The transcription is by Josefa García Tovar and the translation is by the author. The numbers in brackets refer to item statements. An explanatory list of the witnesses who confirmed the statement given here is provided at the end of the appendix.1

  Probanza of Mansio. (Patronato 126, AGI, Seville)

  Notary: In the city of the Kings, of these realms and provinces of Peru, this Twenty Eighth day of January, of the year Fifteen Hundred and Sixty Two, before the Lord President and judges of the Audiencia and Royal Chancery who reside in the afore-mentioned city, and before me, Francisco López, notary of His Majesty and of the court of the Royal Audiencia, Mansio Serra de Leguizamón, encomendero of Cuzco, presented himself, and whose sworn testimony I record.

  Conquistador: Most Powerful Lord, I, Mansio Serra de Leguizamón, encomendero of Cuzco, declare that I have been in these realms of Peru thirty-one years, in which time I have served Your Majesty in all that has been commanded of me, at my own expense and purpose; of which I wish to inform Your Royal Person so that my past services be known to him, and which I ask and beg be sent to him, in conformity with these documents and royal seal: and in so doing petition Your Royal Person to grant me in this realm the favour of ten thousand pesos in [annual] rent of Indians, and that my heirs be shown favour in positions of honour; and such evidence I commend to the testimony of my witnesses, and for which they be questioned regarding the following: (2) In the conquest of Veragua in the province of Nicaragua I served in the company of the captains Juan de Pánes and Juan Téllez, and which province we placed under His Majesty’s dominion, and where I experienced great risk to my life and the loss of many pesos of gold.

  Nicolás de Ribera: I first met Mansio Serra in the province of Veragua when he had gone there in its conquest with the captains he mentions. And a second time I went there in the company of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro who had been provisioned to go there by the licentiate Gaspar de Espinosa, Governor of Tierra Firme [Panama], in order to bring men from the said province; and he was among those he brought with him to this realm, and this is known to me for I accompanied Don Diego de Almagro; and as for what he says of the province of Veragua, so devastated by rain and with such bad aspect, it would have been impossible for him, and for those who were with him in its conquest, not to have suffered great danger and hardship.

  Conquistador: (3–4) I came to these realms of Peru in the c
ompany of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro, bringing with me my arms, horses and servants, in search of Don Francisco Pizarro, who had departed previously. And so as not to show disservice to His Majesty, the ship in which I came, belonging to Juan Díaz, a citizen of Panama, sailed ahead of the armada. And I took part in the imprisonment of Atahualpa among the company of Don Francisco Pizarro, His Majesty’s Governor, and did all that was commanded of me, and I helped place this land at peace; and by so doing rendered His Majesty singular service, and because of which Atahualpa gave us a great sum of gold which was sent to His Majesty.

  Lucas Martínez Vegazo: I recall having seen Mansio Serra at Cajamarca after the imprisonment of Atahualpa, and as a great deal of time has passed since those events I do not remember whether he took part in his imprisonment, or whether he arrived with the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro who came with men and reinforcements a little after Atahualpa was taken prisoner; though I saw him serve there as a fine soldier, and do all that was commanded of him. And it is true that a great sum of gold and silver was sent to His Majesty, which Atahualpa had given after his capture, and which the Spaniards gathered, and of which His Majesty’s Royal Fifth was sent him with Hernando Pizarro, which was of great service and benefit to His Majesty, and those who took part in this enterprise served him greatly, and which I witnessed with my own eyes.