DON Diego and his followers were much alarmed at the news that Pero
Alvarez Holguin had been nominated General in the city of Cuzco, with
Gómez de Tordoya as Camp Master, as well as at the news respecting
the proceedings of Alonso de Alvarado and other occurrences. Their
principal men assembled to decide what should be done. Gómez de
Alvarado and Juan de Sayavedra were discontented that Juan de Herrada
should be the General, and that they should be under his orders,
he having been a common man and a private soldier. They were much
displeased with Don Diego, and although they were present at some of
the meetings, it was not willingly nor with the desire with which
they were credited. There were different opinions as to the course to
be pursued. Some thought that they should advance against Alonso de
Alvarado and rout him. Others were in favour of descending along the
coast road to capture or kill Vaca de Castro, and so to increase their
army as to be strong enough to defeat those who had shown themselves
to be enemies; then to wait and see how his Imperial Majesty would
dispose these affairs. If a rigorous mandate should be sent out
against them, they could then retreat beyond the river Maule. But
they were unable to agree upon any of those plans, and finally the
proposal of Cristóbal de Sotelo was deemed the best. It was that they
should go and meet Pero Alvarez Holguin and defeat him, as he could
not have more than three hundred men; and then from the plains march
to the important city of Cuzco, where they could gain information
of the arrival of Vaca de Castro, and of his further movements, and
learn the view he took of things. Having decided to quit Lima the
captains sent twelve Spaniards to the province of Jauja to speak
with the Guancas,[88] as they wished to pass through their province,
so as to ensure mutual trust and friendship with them, to arrange
about supplies, and to induce them to send advice of the coming of
Pero Alvarez and his party if they should hear of it. Don Diego and
his captains then began to collect arms, prepare powder, and make
arquebuses; holding war to be certain, and not doubting that many
of them must die, since they were so vengeful towards one another.
The banners were displayed and the beating of drums heralded the war
which the fifes proclaimed. And so all began to prepare for an early
departure from the city.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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