THE CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE
CONQUERORS
First civil war: the war of Diego de
Almagro “The Old Man”
Background
The conflicts between the conquerors did not take
long and to understand the causes that originated
them we must remember the Capitulation of Toledo
(1529), a document in which the main beneficiary
was Francisco Pizarro, which motivated the first
misgivings among the partners.
In 1534, Charles I or V, king of Spain, divided the
conquered territories into two governorates:
Z Governorship of Nueva Castilla, corresponded to
Francisco Pizarro.
Z Governorate of Toledo, corresponded to Diego de
Almagro.
Cause
The problems between the conquerors worsened due
to the dilemma: what are the limits between the two
governorates? Pizarro was granted a total of 270
leagues, which counted from the Santiago River (in
present-day Ecuador), but it was not well
established where his governorship ended.
According to Almagro, Pizarro's governorship
ended at the height of Chincha, therefore, for
Almagro, the Cusco city belonged to him and not to
Pizarro. But Pizarro opposed this conclusion of his
partner. Thus, the possession of Cusco became the
main cause of the first civil war: the confrontation
between the pizarristas and the almagristas.
The failure of an expedition
Part of the Almagro governorate, it was located in
the territories of the current country of Chile.
The conqueror organized an expedition to discover
his new lands, he was confident of finding riches
equal to that of the imperial city. But his discovery
turned out to be the complete opposite of what he
expected. Upon arriving in the region, he was sadly
surprised that most of the lands were desert and
poor and that the Araucanian Indians who populated
them were rebels, very difficult to subdue.
Faced with this failure, Diego de Almagro decides to
return to Cusco and take control of the city.
The taking of Cusco
In 1537, Almagro and his troops entered Cusco and
helped free Cusco from the rebellion of Manco Inca.
Once the fight against the young Inca was over,
Almagro took advantage of the opportunity and took
Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro prisoners, and then
pointed out that Cusco was within the limits of his
governorship. Gonzalo Pizarro managed to escape and
traveled to Lima where his brother Francisco was.
Francisco Pizarro's first reaction was to try to start
negotiations with his partner, and the Mala
conversations took place under the arbitration of
Brother Francisco Bobadilla. The results favored
Pizarro, since the ruling determined that Cusco
belonged to the Pizarro government.
In subsequent negotiations, both conquerors agreed
to submit the final decision to King Carlos I, with
the condition that Almagro free Hernando Pizarro.
Battle of the Salinas: death of Almagro, the old
man. Towards December 1537, Almagro left
Chincha to head to Cusco, previously fulfilling his
commitment to free Francisco Pizarro's brother.
Meanwhile, Francisco Pizarro organized an army
and commissioned his brother Hernando to march
after Almagro.
Hernando Pizarro's army, made up of a thousand
soldiers, faced Diego de Almagro's army, made up
of seven hundred soldiers, on April 6, 1538, very
close to the city of Cusco, in the battle of the
Salinas.
The Almagritas were defeated, their leader tried to
flee towards Sacsayhuamán but his weak state made
him easy prey for his enemies.
He was taken to Cusco, Hernando Pizarro was in
charge of carrying out a very quick trial, accusing
him of having killed numerous Spaniards and of
having ignored the Spanish authorities.
Diego de Almagro the Elder was sentenced to death
and was strangled in his own cell. His body was
taken to the Plaza Mayor of Cusco, where he was
beheaded in front of a crowd, on July 8, 1538.
Hernando Pizarro's decision to order Almagro's
death would later earn him a trial by the Council of
the Indies, which sent him to serve an eighteen-year
sentence in Spain.
Almagro's death deepened the differences between
Pizarristas and Almagros. The people of Almagro
suffered all kinds of persecution, such as the
confiscation of their property.
Second civil war: war of Diego de
Almagro el Mozo (the revenge of the
Almagros)
After the death of Diego de Almagro, the
Almagristas will organize to confront Francisco
Pizarro.
Therefore, they met in Lima with the aim of taking
revenge. At the head of the Almagrists was Juan de
Rada, who later met with the son of their deceased
leader, Diego de Almagro, el Mozo.
Vengeance consummated: death
of Francisco Pizarro
The Almagrists, also called those of Chile, carried
out the preparations for the assassination of
Francisco Pizarro.
On June 26, 1541, a group of Almagros, led by
Diego de Almagro, the Mozo and Juan de Rada,
burst into the Plaza Mayor of Lima shouting: Long
live the king, die the tyrant! Francisco Pizarro was
surprised in his own residence, and after a tough
confrontation he fell dead from a stab wound to the
throat. His brother Martín de Alcántara died with
him.
Attack by the Almagrists on the
conquistador Francisco Pizarro
It is said that as he was about to expire, Pizarro
soaked the fingers of his right hand over his open
throat and drew a cross on the floor with his blood.
To hasten his death, one of the almagristas threw a
pot on his face.
Upon the death of Francisco Pizarro, those of Chile
appointed Diego de Almagro el Mozo as governor
of Peru.
Cristóbal Vaca de Castro arrives in Peru
With the death of Pizarro, a power vacuum arose,
since the vast majority of Spaniards did not
recognize the authority of Diego de Almagro el
Mozo since he did not enjoy the support of the
Spanish Crown.
Charles V, upon hearing about the conflicts between
Almagristas and Pizarristas, decided to send Cristóbal
Vaca de Castro to put an end to the problems between
the two sides.
The king had granted Vaca de Castro high positions
above the conquistadors themselves. Once he
arrived in the Andean territories, he learned of the
death of Pizarro and the uprising of Almagro el
Mozo. In addition to seeking a solution to the
lawsuit, he dedicated himself to administering the
governorates. Without wasting much time and with
the support of pizarristas, he entered the mountains.
Battle of Chupas
In the plains of Chupas, near Huamanga
(Ayacucho), Almagristas and forces loyal to the
King clashed on November 16. Vaca de Castro with
his men defeated the Almagritas. Almagro the
Younger fled to Cusco, where he was taken
prisoner. He was sentenced to beheading, and as a
last will he asked to be buried next to his father.
He was executed in the Plaza Mayor of Cusco at the
early age of twenty, and fulfilling his last wish, his
remains were buried in the Convento de la Merced
in Cusco.
 Timeline
Manco Inca Rebellion 1536 Francisco Pizarro dies 1541

1537
Battle of the Salt Flats

Feedback
1. What was the main cause of the first war3. Upon the death of Francisco Pizarro, who was a civilian between the p

2. What was the result of the Mala Conversations?4. What was the end of Diego de Almagro “el Mozo”

Working in class

Navigating the Amazon 1. After what battle, Gonzalo Pizarro embarks on the
After the defeat of Almagro in Las Salinas, Gonzalo expedition?
Pizarro, accompanied by Francisco de Orellana and
230 other men, left at the end of 1540 in search of
legendary lands east of Quito, famous for possessing
large quantities of gold and ca - nela, for this reason,
they called them the Country of Cinnamon. 2. What was the result of the expedition to the
The expedition was a disaster, instead of gold and Country of Cinnamon?
cinnamon, the adventurers found thick vegetation, a
suffocating climate, thousands of insects, diseases
and hunger. Gonzalo Pizarro decided to send a boat
upriver to Orellana in order to get food. Days passed
and Orellana did not return. Disillusioned, Gonzalo 3. What was Pizarro's attitude toward Orellana's
returned to Quito with what remained of his ghostly delay?
soldiers.
Meanwhile Orellana continued sailing along the
entire Coca River and then along the Napo, until it
flowed into a great river that time would call the
Amazon. After a long time, sailing along the great 4. What was Orellana's discovery?
river, Orellana and his crew reached the Atlantic
Ocean in August 1542.
Z Locating us on the map Z Complete the following table:
And locate the following events on the following
map:
Battle of the Battle of
1. Battle of Las Salinas
Salinas You suck
2. Battle of Chupas
3. Death of Francisco Pizarro. Characters
Causes
Final

Z Relate the following actions to their respective

characters:
1. Governor of New Toledo: .
2. He participated as a mediator in the Mala
Conversations: .
3. He proclaimed himself governor of Peru
after Pizarro's death: .
4. He was the King's envoy to resolve conflicts
between the conquerors: .

Z Place the following facts in your notebook on a

timeline:
a) Battle of Chupas.
b) Battle of the Salinas.
c) Death of Almagro, the Young Man.
d) Death of Francisco Pizarro.
e) Capitulation of Toledo

Verifying learning
1. The final battle, led by Vaca de Castro, that
4. Pizarrist who sentenced the leader Diego de
ended the civil wars between the conquistadors
Almagro el Viejo to death.
was:
a) You suck. d) The Salt Flats a) Pedro de la Gasca. d) Hernando Pizarro.
b) Bad e) San Cristobal b) Castro cow. e) Juan Pizarro.
c) Ayacucho c) Francisco de Toledo.

2. Almagrista leader who proclaimed himself 5. He was sent by the Spanish Crown to put an end
governor of Peru:
to the problems between the conquistadors:
a) Castro cow.
a) Viceroy Toledo. d) Castro cow.
b) Hernando de Luque.
c) Francisco Pizarro. b) Viceroy La Serna e) Francisco Bobadilla
d) Diego de Almagro, the Elder. c) Pedro de la Gasca
e) Diego de Almagro, the Young Man.
6. At Mala's talks, they met
3. The first civil war between Almagritas and Piza-
rritas originated because both sides wanted to and .
have control of .
a) Diego de Almagro – Hernando Pizarro.
a) Ayacucho.
b) Cajamarca b) Gonzalo Pizarro – Hernando de Luque.
c) Lime. c) Francisco Pizarro – Diego de Almagro.
d) Cusco d) Viceroy Toledo – Francisco Pizarro
e) chincha e) Castro Cow – Diego de Almagro.
7. The Battle of Las Salinas took place in 9. The battle of Chupas took place in .
.
a. Cusco.
a) Ayacucho.
b. Lime
b) Lime
c. Tacna.
c) Cusco.
d. Piura
d) Arequipa.
e. Ayacucho.
e) Bad
10. Francisco Pizarro was murdered by .
8. Francisco Pizarro was murdered in .
a) Almagrists.
a) Lime.
b) Slateists.
b) Cusco.
c) Castro cow.
c) Arequipa.
d) Francisco de Orellana.
d) Cajamarca
e) Pedro de La Gasca.
e) Jauja.

Warning before

In total, four Spanish civil wars were carried out, in this week's session we have seen the first tw