Földvári Books

The Conquest and Government of Peru and Chile: The Achievements of Three Viceroys of Peru

Méndez Silva, Rodrigo

Memorial de las casas del Villar Don Pardo, y Cañete: sus servicios, casamientos, ascendencia, y descendencia. […].

[S.l. probably Mardid]: [s.n.], 1646. First edition. Pages within printed ruled borders. Modern half morocco over marbled boards, spine with raised bands and gilt-lettered label (B. Vera). ff. 30. With an engraved coat of arms of f. 2. Light browning and occasional minor staining, including a small stain to the title page. Otherwise in very good condition.

An important seventeenth-century Americana, recounting the achievements of three viceroys of Peru, the conquest of Chile, and encounters with the English privateers Drake and Hawkins.

The memorial celebrates the services of the Torres y Portugal and Hurtado de Mendoza families to the Spanish Crown, particularly their prominent role in the conquest and administration of South America. It contains accounts of Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, second Marquis of Cañete and Viceroy of Peru (1556–1561), who consolidated Spanish authority following the conflicts among the conquistadors; Fernando de Torres y Portugal, Count of Villar Don Pardo and Viceroy of Peru (1585–1590), whose appointment by Philip II is partially reproduced, including provisions concerning the administration and treatment of Indigenous inhabitants; and García Hurtado de Mendoza, fourth Marquis of Cañete, Governor of Chile and subsequently Viceroy of Peru (1590–1596).

Particular attention is given to the military and administrative achievements of García Hurtado de Mendoza. The memorial recounts his campaigns against the Araucanians (Mapuche) during the conquest of Chile, claiming that he defeated them in seven battles and established seven cities. As Viceroy of Peru, he introduced the alcabala (sales tax), overcoming considerable resistance, including a rebellion in Quito. The work also records his role in defending Spanish possessions against English incursions into the Pacific. It explicitly mentions the defeat and capture of the English navigator Richard Hawkins (Ricarte de Achines.) and the defence of Panama against Francis Drake (Draque), for which García dispatched Alonso de Sotomayor. The memorial further records that García returned to Spain in 1596 carrying nineteen million in silver for the Crown and private individuals.

The memorial was prepared on behalf of Juan Antonio de Torres y Portugal, Count of Villar Don Pardo and Marquis of Cañete, and presented to Philip IV in 1646. Its principal purpose was to obtain the dignity of Grandee of Spain by demonstrating the family’s distinguished ancestry and services to the monarchy, particularly in its American possessions. It also sought other royal honours and offices, including appointment as a gentleman of the royal chamber, a military habit and commandery, revenues from the alcabalas of the Cañete estate, and a governorship or viceroyalty. The family’s pursuit of the grandeeship continued into the eighteenth century: a petition submitted in 1707 by Francisca María de Belvís Portugal y Córdoba explicitly referred to the memorial of 1646.

The author, Rodrigo Méndez Silva (c. 1606–after 1675), was a Portuguese-born historian, genealogist, and royal chronicler active at the Spanish court. His principal works include the Catálogo real genealógico de España (1637) and Población general de España (1645). Arrested by the Inquisition in 1659 on charges of practising Judaism, he was tortured and deprived of his property. He subsequently left Spain for Italy, where he adopted the Jewish name Jacob.

WorldCat locates six copies in five institutions: Biblioteca Nacional de España, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Indiana University, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and British Library.

Reference: Not in Sabin, Marqués de la Floresta (2013). “El cronista portugués Rodrigo Méndez Silva en la corte de Madrid.” Cuadernos de Ayala, no. 56, pp. 3–25.

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Price: €5,000.00