Collection Guide
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Pizarro-de la Gasca Collection
mssPL
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Pizarro-de la Gasca collection
Identifier/Call Number: mssPL
Physical Description:
19 Linear Feet
(21 boxes, 2 volumes)
Date (inclusive): 1537-1580
Abstract: A collection of material related to
Gonzalo Pizarro and Pedro de la Gasca concerning the early history of Peru.
Language of Material: Materials are in
Spanish.
RESTRICTED. Boxes 1-10, 21: fragile. Use digital surrogates, facsimile copies (boxes 11-20)
or the two volumes of 19th century transcriptions of the papers. Originals available with
curatorial approval.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Pizarro-de la Gasca collection, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Maggs Bros., 1926.
Francisco Pizarro (approximately 1475-1541) and Diego de Almagro (-1538) together conquered
Peru for the Spanish crown from 1531 to 1533; the two men were divided by frictions and
jealousies which finally led to the execution of Almagro by Pizarro in 1538 and the murder
of Pizarro by Almagro's followers in 1541. After his brother's death, Gonzalo Pizarro
(-1548) seized control of the government from the new viceroy of Peru, and a period of
disorder ensued until Charles V sent his own emissary, Pedro de la Gasca (1493-1567) to Peru
to settle the disputes and quiet the rebellion. La Gasca executed Gonzalo Pizarro, repealed
the opposed "New Laws of the Indies," and, by offering liberal pardons, won support for the
Crown and established civil government in Peru.
A collection of 946 items from 1537 to 1580, it consists of letters, manuscripts and
documents, all in Spanish, documenting the early history of Peru, including Francisco
Pizarro's civil war with Diego de Almagro and the pacification of the country by Pedro de la
Gasca. It also includes material pertaining to the Catholic Church in Peru; missionaries;
the conquest of Chile; the Native people of Peru; and enslavement of Indigenous peoples.
There is material regarding the cities of Arequipa, Cuzco, Lima, and Quito. There are
letters and decrees of Charles V and Philip II, letters of Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisco
Pizarro, reports of Pedro de la Gasca, and Pedro de Valdivia's account of the conquest of
Chile. Persons represented in the collection include: Juan de Acosta, Pascual de Andagoya,
Francisco de Carvajal, Charles V, Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Philip II, Hernando
Pizarro, Pedro de Puelles, Pedro de Soria, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro, and Pedro de Valdivia.
Also included are paper facsimiles of the original material and two 19th century volumes of
transcriptions of the collection (the transcriptions are not in chronological order).
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1930. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report. In 2023, the finding aid was updated to
include the restricted boxes 1-10; also, the four boxes of microfilm were removed and
discarded.
Former call number: mssPL 1-946.
Existence and Location of Copies
All primary source material in the collection have been digitized and the digital
reproductions are available in the
Huntington Digital Library.
Existence and Location of Copies
Series 2 is made up of facsimiles and transcriptions of the original material in Series
1.
Organized in two series: Series 1. Correspondence, documents, and original bindings; Series
2. Facsimiles and transcriptions.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Indians of South America -- Peru -- History -- 16th century
Mines and mineral resources
Missionaries -- Peru
Slavery -- Peru
Arequipa (Peru)
Cuzco (Peru)
Lima (Peru)
Peru -- History -- Conquest,
1522-1548
Peru -- History -- 1548-1820
Quito (Ecuador)
Documents
Letters (correspondence)
Manuscripts
Acosta, Juan de, active 16th
century
Almagro, Diego de, -1538
Andagoya, Pascual de, -1548
Carvajal, Francisco de,
1465?-1549
Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, V,
1500-1558
Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo,
1478-1557
Gasca, Pedro de la,
1493-1567
Philip, King of Spain, II,
1527-1598
Pizarro, Francisco, approximately
1475-1541
Pizarro, Gonzalo, -1548
Pizarro, Hernando, -1578
Puelles, Pedro de
Soria, Pedro de, active 16th
century
Vaca de Castro, Cristóbal, -1588
Valdivia, Pedro de, 1500?-1554?
Catholic Church -- Peru --
History -- 16th century