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1545 to 1548 - Gonzalo Pizarro's rebellion

Gonzalo Pizarro's rebellion
Following the zealous application of the New Laws by the Viceroy Blasco Núñez Vela, Gonzalo Pizarro, the last of the four Pizarro brothers, soon became the leader for rebellious encomienda holders. Gonzalo led the rebellion enthusiastically, arguing that "Spain's desires are well understood despite her dissimulation. She wishes to enjoy what we have sweated for, and with clean hands to benefit from what we gave our blood to obtain..."

Gonzalo and his rebel forces attacked and killed the deposed Viceroy, Blasco Núñez Vela, during a battle in 1546. The rebellious settlers, anxious to dispense with Spanish rule and have a free hand in the exploitation of the natives, proposed to make Gonzalo king and marry him to an Inca princess. Gonzalo refused the proposal, arguing "I cannot think of marriage at present: I am wedded to my lances and horses".



The New Laws revoked
IllustrationBy 1545, King Charles had become concerned about the New Laws stopping the continual inflow of treasure and riches from Peru. Moral obligations were overruled by financial needs, and the New Laws were revoked. The King sent a royal emissary, Pedro de la Gasca, to Peru in an attempt to regain control of the land. Armed with documents explaining the benefit of the revoked laws, Gasca was able to win the support of many of the settlers.

The decisive battle with Gonzalo's rebel forces occurred on 9 April 1548, just outside Cuzco. On the battlefield where Atahualpa's forces had defeated Huascar in 1532, where Francisco Pizarro had defeated Quisquis in 1533 and where Hernando Pizarro had defeated Almagro in 1538, Gasca engaged and defeated Gonzalo's forces. Gonzalo was captured and summarily executed as a rebel and a traitor.

The encomienda system continued for many years, with the settlers petitioning - and attempting to bribe - the King for grants in perpetuity. Moral debates, commission investigations and royal conferences failed to resolve the issue. It was not until the arrival of the 5th Viceroy, Don Francisco de Toledo, in 1569 that more permanent solutions were proposed and implemented, albeit with limited success.