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Secondary sourceBook1571

Primera y segunda parte de la historia del Perú

Diego Fernández de Palencia · 1571

An early printed chronicle of the civil wars among the Spanish conquerors, tracing the Pizarro–Almagro feud that led to Pizarro's assassination.

This chronicle traces the civil wars that followed Pizarro's conquest and led to his assassination.

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Plain yellowish-brown textured surface, apparently the cover or leaf of an old book, with faint darker marks, a handwritten numeral in the upper right corner, and a crease running across the lower half.
Diego Fernández de Palencia, Primera y segunda parte de la historia del Perú, 1571. Biblioteca Nacional de España.

About this source

What it is

This book was written by Diego Fernández de Palencia, who was made official chronicler of Peru by the viceroy, and published in Seville in 1571. It is held by the Biblioteca Nacional de España. The work covers rebellions and civil conflicts among the Spanish conquerors of Peru, including Gonzalo Pizarro's rebellion.

Why it matters

Because Fernández had access to the correspondence and official papers of Spanish leaders, historians consider this one of the fullest surviving records of the bitter power struggles that followed the conquest—struggles that grew out of the rivalry between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro and ended in Pizarro's own murder.

Look closer

  • Why would a chronicler writing so soon after these events still have personal biases?
  • What does it tell us that Spanish conquerors fought violently among themselves after defeating the Inca?
  • How might access to official documents shape what a chronicler chooses to include?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Pizarro on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Map titled Capitulaciones de 1529 showing South America divided into colored zones: Tierra Firme at top, Capitulación de Francisco Pizarro in yellow across the middle, Capitulación de Simón de Alcazaba in purple below, and the Tratado de Tordesillas line on the east. Cities labeled include Caracas, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, Asunción, Buenos Aires and Santiago.Document

Primary source

Capitulation of Toledo

Crown of Castile · 26 July 1529

Black-and-white etching of an interior with a tall barred window. A kneeling figure with raised arm faces a standing man in a military coat who points a pistol. Soldiers with muskets stand at right, and a figure in a plumed headdress stands at left.Painting

Secondary source

L'Ynca du Pérou aux pieds de Pizarre

A.C.F. Villerey after N. Vallain

Black and white engraving of a 16th-century confrontation. A feathered, robed figure stands centre, flanked by women and attendants. A friar in a dark hooded robe holds an open book and speaks to him. Armoured Spanish soldiers stand at right, one holding a helmet-topped staff, and a kneeling man in dark clothing is in the foreground. Keys lie on the ground.Painting

Secondary source

Valverde urging Atahualpa to convert

Henry Perronet Briggs (painting); engraved by W. Greatbach · 1830

Scan of a dark brown, mottled book cover with a white library label at the top reading 'UC-NRLF' above a barcode and the call number '$B 284 962'. No title text is visible on the cover.Book

Primary source

Verdadera relación de la conquista del Perú

Francisco de Jerez · 1534 (this edition 1891)

Black-and-white ink line drawing with a bold Spanish caption across the top reading Conquista and Atahualpa, Ciudad de Caxamarca. A robed friar with a cross faces a kneeling Inca man, while a crowd of Spanish soldiers with spears and Andean figures fills the scene.Painting

Secondary source

Atawallpa Pizarro tinkuy

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala · 1532 (depicted); drawing later

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