CHAPTER LIII

    How Don Diego de Almagro's captains, being in the province of Jauja, agreed that he and no other should be General, and that Cristóbal de Sotelo should be Camp Master; and how they were for sending García de Alvarado to Lima, which was opposed by Sotelo.

DON Diego de Almagro and those who were with him were deeply grieved when the death of Juan de Herrada became known to them. The captains and principal men consulted together about sending a captain to Lima for iron to make arms, and other things that were necessary; and some proposed that it should be García de Alvarado, with a hundred horsemen and fifty arquebusiers. When this was agreed to, Cristóbal de Sotelo, with others who viewed discreetly the evils that such an errand would arouse, and knew that the soldiers would rob the city and cause trouble and give offence, opposed it; which García de Alvarado bitterly resented. This having been settled, the soldiers publicly declared that they wanted no other General than the lad Don Diego, and that Cristóbal de Sotelo should be their Camp Master. The principal men entered into consultation over this and agreed that it should be so, although García de Alvarado showed himself aggrieved, because it deprived him of the command. From that time forward Don Diego took up the duties of Captain General, and Cristóbal de Sotelo those of Camp Master.

It was then determined that the Camp Master Cristóbal de Sotelo should set out with twenty horsemen, lightly equipped, and ride to the city of Cuzco to try and gather some friends together; and do what might seem to him[181] best. So he promptly started with twenty mounted men lightly equipped, and marched until he arrived at Guamanga, where he halted for a few days; and then continued onwards to Cuzco. García de Alvarado, when he saw that Sotelo was placed before him and sent to Cuzco to do what he liked, was deeply chagrined, and began to entertain hatred against him. Even his friendship for Don Diego became weaker, and was no longer so thorough as it was at the beginning. And thus he became very lukewarm in his Chief's interests.

The Camp Master Cristóbal de Sotelo, travelling very rapidly, arrived at Cuzco, where he called a meeting of the municipal councillors to get them to turn round and accept Don Diego as Governor. Felipe Gutiérrez, when he heard of the arrival of Sotelo in the settlement, wanted to slip away or go and hide himself at Santo Domingo; but Sotelo being warned of this, sent certain men who arrested him, and he was brought to the municipal building. Then Sotelo took the money he found there, belonging to Francisco de Caravajal and Bachicao and other persons who had joined Pero Alvarez, for the expenses of the war. He then ordered Diego Méndez, with twenty horsemen, and some arquebusiers among them, to proceed to the town of Plata, and have Don Diego acknowledged there as Governor, since his Majesty had given that Government to the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro his father. When the captain Diego Méndez arrived in the province of Charcas, where this town of Plata is situated, Antonio Alvarez (a settler there), Luis de Villanueva, and some others, not wishing to serve Don Diego nor give countenance to Diego Méndez, absented themselves, as they were unable to make any show of resistance. Diego Méndez wrote to Antonio Alvarez to come to him, promising that he would see to it that Don Diego should be lenient with him. Antonio Alvarez[182] replied that he was not going to be a traitor. Other negotiations followed and things happened, but finally Antonio Alvarez, Villanueva, Vivanco, and others were taken into custody. Diego Méndez, after he had made them acknowledge Don Diego as Governor, and had installed Juan de Vera as lieutenant, went on to the rich mines of Porco, where he seized upwards of 60,000 pesos de oro that were there, and all the horses and arms he could find; and he returned to the great city of Cuzco with the whole of it.