Battle of Huarina explained

Conflict:Battle of Huarina
Partof:the Spanish conquest of Peru
Date:October 20, 1547
Place:Huarina, present-day Bolivia
Result:Decisive victory for Nueva Castilla
Combatant1:Viceroyalty of Peru
Combatant2:Nueva Castilla
Commander1:Diego Centeno
Commander2:Francisco de Carvajal,
Gonzalo Pizarro
Strength1:750 infantry,
250 cavalry[1]
Strength2:480
Casualties1:350 dead,
~350 wounded[2]
Casualties2:100 dead

After sending away royal appointed governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru, Blasco Núñez Vela and later defeating and killing him in the battle of Añaquito, Gonzalo Pizarro assembled an army of 1,200 men to press claims for the rule over Peru, once belonging to him and his brothers. The new viceroy, Pedro de la Gasca, landed in Peru in 1547, and a contingent of his troops, led by Diego Centeno, was severely defeated at Huarina by Francisco de Carvajal (dubbed the Demon of the Andes, for his treatment of native Peruvians in his quest for glory and power.)

Centeno, however, remained successful in retreating in order and later united with the main force under de la Gasca. Ultimately, the viceroy won the cause of most of Gonzalo Pizarro's officers and men, and on April 9, 1548, the pizarrists were finally overthrown in the battle of Jaquijahuana.

References

Notes and References

  1. Prescott, p. 1189. Estimates for Centeno's forces range from 700 to 1,200. Prescott considers Zarate's intermediate figure of 1,000 to be the most likely.
  2. Prescott, p. 1193