Iberic conquest of the Tuachec Empire
| Iberic conquest of the Tuachec Empire | |||||||||
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 Iberic conquest of the Tuachec Empire | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
Native allies |
 Tuachec Empire (1630–33)Neo-Tuachec State (1634–52) | ||||||||
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1st phase (1630–33):
2nd phase (1634–52): | |||||||||
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3,000 soldiers Unknown number of native auxiliaries | 100,000 soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Light | Heavy | ||||||||
The Iberic conquest of the Tuachec Empire, also known as the Conquest of Pecario, was one of the most important campaigns in the Iberic colonization in Alharu. After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes, 3,000 Iberic soldiers under stillian conquistador Diego de Montega, along with his brothers Juan and Francis and their indigenous allies, captured the Vagra Tuachec Pomatec IV in the 1630 Battle of Tawatinsuyo. It was the first step in a long campaign that took decades of fighting but ended in Iberic victory in 1652 and colonization of the region as the Kingdom of Pecario.
When the Iberic settlers landed on the coasts of the Tuachec Empire in 1630, it spanned a considerable area and was by far the largest Mesothalassan civilization. The territory more or less covered the current territory of the Republic of Pecario. Stretching from the high mountains of the Cordillera del Sol to the Bay of Manamana. Because of the diverse cultures, the Tuachec allowed many areas of the empire to be governed under the control of local leaders, who were watched and monitored by Tuachec officials. Under the administrative mechanisms established by the Tuachec, all parts of the empire answered to, and were ultimately under the direct control of, the Tuachec Emperor. Scholars estimate that the population of the Tuachec Empire was more than 15,000,000.
Some scholars believe that while the Iberic conquest was undoubtedly the proximate cause of the collapse of the Tuachec Empire, it may very well have been past its peak and already in the process of decline. Recent harvests had been shaken by droughts and severe winters, causing the emperor to raise taxes throughout the empire. Seeing these as signs of the gods who showed that the current emperor was not one of them, local leaders began fomenting revolts against Pomatec IV in order to seize the imperial throne. It was in this tense climate that Diego de Montega and his men landed in 1630, greatly helping them to conquer more easily.
Chronology
- 1630 - Diego de Montega made first contact with the Tuachec Empire at Riomar, the southernmost Tuachec stronghold along the coast.
- 1631 - Iberics formed a bond with rebel natives, and Montega included them among his troops to face the Tuachecs. Pómatec IV was captured by Iberics.
- 1633 - Pómatec IV was executed; Montega submited Tualcacán and founded the city of Santa Borbones. He installed fourteen-year-old Inti Yupanqui as new Tuachec Emperor
- 1634 - Juan de Montega killed Inti Yupanqui's wife. Inti Yupanqui rebelled and killed him and his men by vengeance. Inti Yupanqui surrounded Tukavera, and Tuachec general Cusi Huálpa attacked Santa Borbones.
- 1635 - Francesco de Guariano seized Santa Borbones from Francis de Montega. Sebastián de Salcázaro sacked Kallanka. Yupanqui escaped and fled to Tuyuc Wasi, which became the capital of the Neo-Tuachec State.
- 1637 - Francis de Montega executed Francisco de Guariano.
- 1642 - Diego de Montega invaded and sacked Tuyuc Wasi; Yupanqui escapes.
- 1645 - Diego de Montega was murdered by Sebastián de Salcázaro and other supporters of Guariano.
- 1647 - Inti Yupanqui was murdered by supporters of Sebastián de Salcázaro. The Tuachec didn't stop their revolt.
- 1652 - King Pedro de Mercado of Pecario declared war on the Neo-Tuachec State; Tuyuc Wasi was sacked and Urpi Yupani, the last Tuachec Emperor, was captured and executed in Santa Borbones. The Neo-Tuachec capital of Tuyuc Wasi was abandoned; the Iberics removed inhabitants and relocated them elsewhere
Arrival of Montega
The Gran Viatge was a mass exodus of ships fleeing a radical peasant's revolution destroying the Iberic Empire, in Southern Europa. It encompassed more than 16 separate waves of refugees, embarking in different numbers at different times. The first and longest exodus journey took place between 1593 to 1620 and involved a starting population of approximately 70,000 — it was known as Deiargon's fleet, after Almirante Esteban Deiargon who led it. Deiargon's Fleet arrived in the western part of Alharu in 1609. Finding much of the coast barren or too heavily occupied to settle, the ships embarked on a meandering journey along the Horn of Alharu. Weary from the voyage, Deiargon was forced to adopt a slower pace to allow for frequent overland expeditions and coastal rests, primarily aimed at maintaining declining morale.
In 1616, Deiargon attempted to establish a colony in the northwestern region of Alharu, but he discovered that frequent raids by natives and disease outbreaks due to local conditions were too challenging for the weakened crews. After nearly 4 years of persistence, Deiargon decided to abandon the colony. It was at this point that Diego de Montega's Fleet separated from Deiargon's Fleet, intending to continue southward.
The journey southward through Alharu was long and encountered numerous storms, significantly reducing Montega's Fleet. The Fleet finally reached the entrance of Manamama Bay in February 1630. Montega disembarked on the shores of Pecario on 25 February 1630. He nicknamed the land Nueva Stillia, in homage to their homeland’s legacy within the former Iberic Empire. He founded the first Iberic city Puerto Montega in Mesothalassa.
When first spotted by the natives, Montega and his men were thought to be gods. The Natives described Montega's men to the Tuachec Emperor. The Natives described the men's swords and how they killed goats with them. Pomatec IV was fearful of what the newly arrived white men were capable of. The messengers went back to Tualcacán, and Pomatec sent Azelca to the Iberics to serve as an interpreter.
After traveling with the Iberics, Azelca returned to the emperor; they discussed whether or not the Iberic men were gods. He saw them produce no miracles so he said they were no men. Azelca informed Pomatec IV that they were small in number, about 3'000 men.
Capture of Pomatec IV
Pomatec IV was waiting in Tawantinsuyo. Montega and his men reached the city in 1631. After negotiations, Emperor Pómatec IV agreed to receive Montega in the city. He arrived with 50 men at Tawantinsuyo on Saturday, 1 March 1631. Although the emperor seemed wary of the Iberics, he welcomed them hospitably and served them refreshments. Tensions appeared to rise when Pómatec IV spoke to them about rumors of massacres and pillaging perpetrated by the colonists on the empire's coasts. Montega denied such allegations and reportedly became offended. He proposed a second meeting the next day at the same location. The Tuachec emperor agreed.
The following day, on 2 March 1631, Montega arranged an ambush around the city and positioned his artillery at the city exits. He was aware that the emperor and his army outnumbered his meager forces by far, but he believed that capturing the emperor would encourage his army to surrender or disperse. Around noon, Montega pretended to have a gift for the Tuachec emperor so that he would leave the city.
As soon as the emperor stepped out, Montega ordered the attack, starting the Battle of Tawantinsuyo. The Iberians unleashed volleys of gunfire at the vulnerable mass of Tuachecs and surged forward in a concerted action. Montega also used devastating cavalry charges against the Tuachec forces, which stunned them in combination with the supporting gunfire. The effect was devastating, and the shocked Tuachecs offered such feeble resistance that the battle has often been labeled a massacre, with the 1,500 Tuachecs slain and the Iberians with only one soldier wounded and one dead. Pómatec IV was captured and became a hostage of Montega and his troops in Tawantinsuyo.
During Pómatec IV's captivity, the Iberians, although greatly outnumbered, forced him to order his generals to sign a truce by threatening to kill him if he refused. Pómatec IV unsuccessfully attempted to secure his freedom by offering to fill a large room with gold and promising twice that amount in silver. Although Montega apparently accepted this offer and allowed the gold to accumulate, he had no intention of releasing the emperor.
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By 1633, the Tuachec generals were more than reluctant to accept a truce and even began to threaten to free the emperor by force. During these two years, Montega succeeded in rallying some local nobles who were waiting for the right moment to plot against an emperor they did not recognize as legitimate. When some of his men fell into an ambush in May 1633, and his brother Juan de Montega narrowly escaped death, Diego de Montega decided that the only way to pacify the region was through conquest by force of arms.
The question then arose regarding the fate of the Tuachec emperor. Some generals were in favor of sparing his life and pressuring the Tuachec generals to surrender by threatening to execute him. Juan de Montega and a majority of Diego de Montega's officers were in favor of executing him, arguing that his death would more quickly encourage the Tuachec generals to surrender. Montega decided on the emperor's execution on June 13, 1633. Pómatec IV received the Tacolic sacraments before being executed by beheading in the central square of Tawantinsuyo. His body was buried according to Christian rites in the Church of San Camarca in the city. Contrary to the predictions of Montega's officers, the death of their emperor encouraged the Tuachec troops to total war, multiplying ambushes and avoiding frontal engagements with the Iberic troops.
Fall of Tualcacán
Taking advantage of the lack of coordination among the Tuachec generals, Montega resolved to march on the Tuachec capital of Tualcacán to greatly weaken the morale of the Tuachec armies. Diego de Montega arrived at the head of 500 men and several thousand rebel natives. Montega then approached Tualcacán and laid siege to the city on September 25, 1633. The siege lasted for three months. The besiegers cut off the food supply and destroyed the aqueduct supplying water to the city.
Despite the fierce resistance of the Tuachecs, the city fell on December 19, 1633. The siege of the city and its defense had been both brutal. During the battle, the defenders cut out the beating hearts of forty Iberic prisoners of war at the altar of the Great Temple, an act that outraged the Iberic soldiers.
Montega then ordered the idols of the Tuachec gods in the temples to be taken down, destroyed, and replaced with icons of Tacolism. He also announced that the temple would never again be used for human sacrifice. Human sacrifice, common among the natives of the Tuachec Empire, had been a major reason motivating Montega and encouraging his soldiers to avoid surrender while fighting to the death. Tualcacán had been almost entirely destroyed using the labor of native allies plus fire and cannon fire during the siege, and once it finally fell, the Iberians continued its destruction, as they soon began to establish the foundations of what would become Santa Borbones on the site.
One Conquistador named Diego Alejandro Ordóñez seemed regretful after the sack of Tualcacán. According to Christiano Davegga, who quotes him in his book Chronicles of the New Wurld, it is written that he said : "May God have mercy on this great city and its people, for we have brought destruction where there once was greatness and life."
After the fall of Tualcacán, the majority of Tuachec generals lay down their arms. Diego de Montega installs Inti Yupanqui, the 14-year-old nephew of Pómatec IV, on the throne of the empire to ensure a semblance of stability in the region. But in reality, he acts only as a puppet, and it is actually Montega and his men who now control the empire.
Rebellion
In 1634, the Kingdom of Pecario is established, Inti Yupanqui became king, and the title of Tuachec emperor then served purely as a traditional role. Inti Yupanqui began his reign as an ally of the Iberians and was respected in the southern regions of the kingdom, but there was still much unrest in the north. He initially maintained good relations with Diego de Montega and several other Iberic conquistadors. However, in 1634, he was left in Santa Borbones under the control of Diego's brothers, Juan and Francis. According to Iberic sources, Juan de Montega attempted to rape the emperor's wife, and seeing her resistance, he eventually killed her. Enraged, Yupanqui avenged his wife by killing Juan de Montega. He managed to escape from Santa Borbones before Juan's body was discovered.
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Yupanqui joined Cusi Hualpa, a Tuachec general that refused to surrender to the Iberics with his men, in the North at the city of Kallanka. Following the death of his brother and Yupanqui's escape, Diego de Montega proclaimed himself king of Pecario and declared war on Inti Yupanqui and his men.
Supported by native rebels, Cusi Hualpa attacked the occupied city of Tukavera while Yupanqui besieged Santa Borbones in March 1634. The siege of Santa Borbones lasted until the following spring, and during that time, Yupanqui's armies managed to eliminate reinforcements sent from the city of Vuolec, but ultimately failed to rout the Iberians from the city. The deteriorating morale of the Tuachec combined with the superior Iberic siege weapons soon made Inti Yupanqui realize that his hope of recapturing Santa Borbones was failing. He eventually withdrew to Kallanka.
In 1635, as the Iberic troops lay siege to Kallánka, a power struggle erupts in Santa Borbones. Citing Francis de Montega's leniency towards the Tuachecs, Francesco de Guariano arrests Francis de Montega with the help of other officers. He then proclaims himself lord of Santa Borbones. He forces Francis to respond to messages from his brother Diego, from his cell, so that Diego does not suspect anything and does not come to free him.
In July 1635, Sebastián de Salcázaro entered the city of Kallanka and loots it. A large majority of the city's population is enslaved to work in the iron mines. Inti Yupanqui escaped from the city and joins Tuyuc Wasi, which became the capital of the Neo-Tuachec State. The last pockets of Tuachec resistance were destroyed in 1636, with only the city of Tuyuc Wasi remaining under Yupanqui's leadership, who continued to resist. Peace gradually returned to the region, and devastating smallpox epidemics in 1636 and 1637 prevented any uprising attempts by the Tuachecs.
In February 1637, Francis de Montega managed to free himself and retook control of Santa Borbones from Francesco de Guariano, who is executed. In May 1642, Diego de Montega, accompanied by Sebastián de Salcázaro, finally attacks Tuyuc Wasi with his troops. The city fell and is subjected to violent massacres, while Inti Yupanqui escaped into the mountains.
Three years later, in 1645, Diego de Montega fell victim to a plot by Sebastián de Salcázaro and other officers who supported Franceso de Guariano. Montega is assassinated in his palace in Santa Borbones, and Salcázaro takes power. This led to a long civil war between Salcázaro's supporters and Francis de Montega's supporters, with the indigenous people suffering the most from this conflict. Inti Yupanqui took advantage of the conflict to regroup in Tuyuc Wasi with his loyalists. However, he was assassinated by Tuachecs supporting the side of Sebastián de Salcázaro in 1647. But this did not mark the end of the Neo-Tuachec state, as the resistance continued until 1652.
Aftermath
In November 1651, the civil war ended in the kingdom, and a new king was elected: Pedro de Mercado. His primary objective became the complete destruction of all indigenous resistance. Indeed, the city of Tuyuc Wasi continued to resist under the leadership of an heir to the imperial throne named Urpi Yupani. Pedro Mercado declared war on the Neo-Tuachec in November 1651. The city fell in the spring of 1652, and the last Tuachec emperor, Urpi Yupani, was captured and executed. The Neo-Tuachec capital of Tuyuc Wasi was abandoned and the Iberics removed the inhabitants and relocated them elsewhere in the kingdom.
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