The Conquest of New Granada

r THE CONQUEST OF NEW GEANADA 274» 5 lb THE CONQUEST OF NEW GRANADA BY SIK CLEMENTS MAEKHAM, K.C.B.. D.SC. (CAM.) HONORABT MEMBER OF THE HISTOIlICAIi SOCIETY OP AXXIOQULV Siempre la brevedacl es una cosa Con gran razon de todos alabada, Y vemoa que una platica es gustosa Quanto mas breve y menos atectada. Araucana, Cdnto xxvi DEDICATED (by permission) TO HIS EXCELLENCY DON CAELOS E. RESTREPO PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA i — PREFACE Some knowledge of the civilisation of the Aztecs and Incas, of the conquests of Mexico and Peru as told by Fresco tt, with the stories of Cortes and Pizarro, is part of a hberal education. But the civiHsation of the Chibchas and the story of the conquest of New Granada by Quesada has found no Prescott, and is unknown to oiu' Enghsh literature. A great many yeal's ago, General Mosquera a former well-known President of New Granada —dined with Sir Roderick Murchison at the Geo- graphical Club, and took me in his carriage to the meeting. In conversation the General expressed regret that although Mexico and Peru had found a historian, writing in the English language, his own country—the story of which was quite as interesting—had not. General Mosquera was himself an author. ' Geografia de la Nueva Granada., por General Tomas Cipriano da Mosquera (New York, 1858). General Mosquera was born at Popayan in 1798. He was a comrade and intimate friend of Bolivar. President, 1844-49; again in 1863 and 186C. He died in 1878. ; viii PREFACE I pondered over this expression of regret by an eminent Colombian. At that very time I was consulting the most important of the New Granada chronicles, by Fray Pedro Simon, for another purpose.! I was then led to read ' Piedrahita,' a later chronicle, and to translate ' Cieza de Leon ' and I received encouragement to write on the subject from Sir Woodbine Parish. But I waited for some more competent person with greater local knowledge to undertake the task of presenting to EngHsh readers the story of Chibcha civilisation and of the conquest of New Granada. I have waited for fifty years. My personal knowledge of Colombia is confined to Santa Martha, Cartagena, and the Isthmus. But I have had occasions for studying the geo- graphy of that interesting country for official purposes. It became an object, in connection with chinchona cultivation in British India, to obtain and pubhsh the valuable drawings of plants of the chinchona genus growing in Colombia, by Mutis, which I found in the tool-house of the Botanical Gardens at Madrid. I then obtained sanction for their pubHcation under the editorship ^ I was writing the Introduction to a volume of the Hakluyt Society entitled The Search for El Dorado. PREFACE ix of an eminent Colombian botanist, Don Jose Triana. ^ Afterwards I employed Mr. Cross, a very able gardener and traveller, to explore the region of the C. Pitayensis, to the east of Popayan and Timana. He brought me back a detailed description of that interesting region. I also pubhshed, in 1867, translations of the works of Dr. Mutis and of Dr. Karstan on the chinchona genus, with intro- ductory notes and lives. A letter from Senor Don Narciso Lorenzano, dated March 1864, on the subject of the cultivation of chinchona-trees in their original habitat, led to my pubhcation, in Spanish, in 1867, of a handbook of chinchona cultivation for the use of Colombian proprietors. I subsequently had some official correspondence on Colombian forest conservancy, and was elected an Honorary Member of the Historical Society of Antioquia. In obtaining the MS. of the fourth part of the work of Mutis at Madrid, and printing it for the first time, M. Weddell was so good as to say that I rendered great service to the memory of the illustrious botanist of Colombia. I mention these transactions to show that circumstances have conduced to a continuance of ' Nouvelles etudes sur les quinquinas accompagnees de facsimile des dessins de la quinologie de Mutis, por J. Triana (folio, Paris, 1870). X PREFACE that interest in the land of the Chibchas which was first aroused by my conversation with General Mosquera. I submit the following/brief account of Chibcha civihsation and of the conquest of New Granada 'without any thought of its taking a place by the side of the works of Prescott. My intention is far enough from that. Its object is only to stop a gap in Enghsh hterature until such time as it may be worthily filled by another more detailed work from the pen of some one who is intimately acquainted with all the locahties, as well as with all the original sources of information, some of which are still undiscovered. I trust that such a future author may already exist, or will exist in due course. I have to offer my cordial thanks to His Excellency Don Ignacio Gutierrez-Ponce for assis- tance and advice. Don Ignacio is descended from three of the companions in arms of Quesada. CLEMENTS B. MARKHAM. 21 EccLESTON Square, S.W. September, 1912. —— ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTEN^rS PA,GB Dedication ......... v Preface vii CHAPTER I TELLERS OP THE STORY Reports of actual actors in the scenes they describe : Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Pascual de Andagoya, Heredia, Cieza de Leon, Gonzalo Jimenes de Quesada, Castellanos, Pedro Simon, Piedrahita, Zamora, Fresle Ocariz, Cassini, Herrera, Oviedo, Duquesne, Lugo, Uricoechea, Acosta 1 CHAPTER II THE CHIBCHA NATION Influence of environment—^Moimtaiiis and Rivers of Colom- bia—Tribes of the Cauca Valley—Cemetery of Zenu Country of the Chibchas—Chibcha People : their agri- culture, appearance, commerce, manufactures, houses, .progress—its causes . .11 CHAPTER III mmm^ THE CHIBCHA RELIGION The great first cause—Sim-worship—^Myths—^The Bachue myth—^The Bochica myth—Deities—^The Garachacha myth—^The Tequendama myth—^The Guatavita myth and festeval—El Dorado—Gold in the Guatavita Lake The Temples—Human Sacrifice—Sun and Moon—Their marriage—Link between celestial and anthropomorphic ideas ......... 21 —— xii CONTENTS CHAPTER IV THE CHIBCHA LANGUAGE AND CALENDAR The language progressed with the advance of the people Now a dead language—Grammars and Vocabularies Grammatical construction—Words for degrees of relation- ship—Numeration—Times and Seasons—Hieroglyphics of first ten numerals—System of intercalation—Duquesne's explanation of the Calendar—the Cycle—Point reached in civilisation . .31 CHAPTER V CHIBCHA GOVERNMENT : THE ZIPA AND THE ZAQUE The Zipa, the Zaque, and the Iraca—Rule for succession —Capital and pleasure houses of the Zipa—Interments the Zaque of Tunja—the Zipa Saguanmachica's wars —the Zipa Nemequene's wars—the Zipa Thisquezuza Influence of the Iraca—the Great Chief Tutasua Retrospect of what is known of the Chibchas—Preserva- tion of their history—Lost Work of Quesada ... 40 CHAPTER VI SPANIARDS ON THE COAST Expedition of Bastidas—Ojeda and Nicuesa—Defeat of Ojeda—Ojeda in the Gulf of Urabfi.—Failure and death of Ojeda and Nicuesa—Relief expedition of Enciso Rise of Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa—Expedition of Pedrarias —Description of the coast by Enciso .... 49 CHAPTER VII VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA Early days of Vasco Nuiiez—Took command of Ojeda'p starving colony—His capacity—His measures—His good treatment of natives—Accoimt of Coiba and Comogre —Natives of the Isthmus—Vasco Nuiiez received information of Dobaibe and his gold—Love for the daughter of —— CONTENTS xiii PAGE Careta—News of the Pacific Ocean—Ships arrive with provisions—Letter to Charles V.—Discovery of the Pacific Ocean—Arrival of Pedrarias—Pedrarias brings robbery and murder—Atrocities of Morales—Vasco Nunez writes again to Charles V.—Character of Pedrarias—Stores and fittings for shipbuilding—Building of the ships Betrayal of Vasco Nuiiez—Murder of the great discoverer —His death a calamity—Panama founded—Nicaragua Death of Pedrarias—Destruction of the natives of the Isthmus—Retreat of survivors—Brave defence and inde- pendence ......... 62 CHAPTER VIII SETTLEMENTS ON THE COAST Bastidas, first Governor of Santa Martha—His murderer Palomino the second Governor—Vadillo and Palomino —Garcia de Lerma, fourth Governor of Santa Martha Exploring the Magdalena—Oidor Infante, fifth Governor Pedro de Heredia, Governor of Cartagena—Expeditions of Heredia and Cesar—The Velzer rule in Venezuela Cruelty of Alfinger—Expedition of George of Spires- Expedition of Federman ...... 80 ""^-^ CHAPTER IX DARK CLOUDS GATHERING TO THE SOUTH AND WEST Story of the discovery of the Cauca Valley—Origin of Sebastian de Belalcazar—Founding of Popayan by Belal- cazar—Aldana appointed to supersede him-^Vadillo's flight from justice—Cieza de Leon—Vadillo's expedition Cesar's experience—The chief Nutibara and his brother Defeat of Spaniards by Nutibara—Buritica chief burnt by Vadillo—Vadillo reaches the Cauca—Death of Cesar—Dis- covery of the Cauca Valley—Vadillo sent home—Robledo appointed by Aldana—Cruelty of Robledo—Cartago and Antioquia founded—Robledo sent to Spain—Andagoya lands at Buenaventura—Character of Aldana—Anasco Foimding of Timana—Andagoya at Popayan—Return of Belalcazar—Services in Peru—Belalcazar and Heredia —— xiv CONTENTS PARE Return of Robledo—Executed by Belalcazar—Belalcazar condemned—His death and character—Shipwreck and death of Heredia. ....... 92 CHAPTER X GONZALO JIMENES DE QUESADA, CONQUEROR OF THE KINGDOM OP NEW GRANADA Parentage and birth of Quesada—His boyhood and education at Granada—the Adelantado, Pedro Fernandez Lugo —Made Governor of Santa Martha—His son Alfonso Pedro to be his Lieutenant —Quesada to be Chief Magistrate Arrival at Santa Martha—Expeditions—Alfonso Luis steals gold and

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