Pedro de Alvarado should not be confused with Pedro Alvarado (miner).
| Pedro de Alvarado | |
| Birth Date: | c. 1485 |
| Death Date: | 4 July 1541 (aged 55 or 56) |
| Death Place: | Guadalajara, New Spain |
| Spouse: |
|
| Partner: | Luisa de Tlaxcala (1519–1535) |
| Children: | 5 (3 with Luisa) |
| Signature: | Signature of Pedro de Alvarado (c. 1485 – 1541).png |
Pedro de Alvarado (pronounced as /es/; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.[1] He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the conquest of the Aztec Empire led by Hernán Cortés. He is considered the conquistador of much of Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
During his life, Alvarado developed a reputation for greed and cruelty, and was accused of various crimes and abuses by natives and Spaniards alike.[2] In 1541, while attempting to quell a native revolt, Alvarado was accidentally crushed by a horse, dying a few days later.[2]
Pedro de Alvarado was flamboyant and charismatic,[3] and was both a brilliant military commander[4] and a cruel, hardened man. He is described as having "good features and bearing", and when presented with a picture of him, the Aztecs referred to him as Tōnatiuh.[5] [6] The Aztecs gave Alvarado this name because of his blond hair, and also his infamous temper.[7] [8] He was handsome,[9] and presented an affable appearance, but was volatile and quick to anger.[10]
He was ruthless in his dealings with the indigenous peoples he set out to conquer. Historians judge that his greed drove him to excessive cruelty,[11] and his Spanish contemporaries denounced his extreme brutality during his lifetime. He was a poor governor of territories he had conquered, and restlessly sought out new adventures.[12]
His tactical brutality, such as the massacre in the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, often undermined strategic considerations.[13] He was also accused of cruelty against fellow Spaniards.[14] Alvarado was little suited to govern; when he held governing positions, he did little to establish stable foundations for colonial rule. His letters show no interest in civil matters, and he only discussed exploration and war. Alvarado stubbornly resisted attempts by the Spanish Crown to establish ordered taxation in Guatemala, and refused to acknowledge such attempts. As governor of Guatemala, Alvarado has been described by W. George Lovell et al. as "an insatiable despot who recognized no authority but his own and who regarded Guatemala as little more than his personal estate."[1]
American historian William H. Prescott described Alvarado's character in the following terms: