BATTLE OF THE SALT FLATS: CAUSES, DEVELOPMENT AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Battle of the Salinas was one of the armed confrontations that occurred in the civil war that faced the Spanish conquerors of Peru. It took place on April 6, 1538 and its protagonists were the troops commanded by Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro and those led by Diego de Almagro.

The main cause of the confrontation between Almagro and Pizarro was the dispute over the possession of Cuzco. Both conquerors claimed that the city was under their jurisdiction, although it was Almagro who dominated it from 1537. Almagro's own failure in his expedition to conquer Chile increased his pressure to preserve Cuzco.

Source: Book the «Decades» by Antonio de Herrera. 1728 edition. Via Wikimedia Commons

The battle concluded with the triumph of Pizarro's troops, who occupied Cuzco after the victory. Almagro, for his part, was captured and imprisoned. The conqueror was accused of treason, summarily tried and executed with the penalty of the stick.

Although this battle marked the beginning of a period of Pizarro hegemony in the region, it did not mean that the situation calmed down. During several decades, the confrontations between the conquerors and the Castilian rulers took place.

Causes

The possession of Cuzco was the trigger for the civil war that pitted Pizarro's supporters and Almagro's supporters in Peru. In 1537, Diego de Almagro managed to occupy the city. In addition, he took the brothers Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro prisoner.

After this, they defeated the pizarro Alonso de Alvarado in Abancay, later descending the coast carrying Hernando Pizarro. In Cuzco, Gonzalo Pizarro and other captains were arrested.

The two sides began to negotiate in Mala and, to resolve their differences, agreed to submit the dispute over Cuzco to the arbitration of Fray Francisco de Bobadilla. The priest issued a ruling in favor of Pizarro, causing discontent in Almagro, who decided to ignore him.

Given this, Francisco Pizarro preferred to wait for the king to pronounce himself, leaving his enemy to continue in Cuzco. In exchange for this wait, he requested that his brother Hernando be released, which was accepted by Almagro.

Rivalry between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro

The rivalry between Pizarro and Almagro began when they had to divide up the lands conquered from the Incas. The Capitulations of Toledo, negotiated between Pizarro and the Spanish Crown, granted this conqueror many more privileges and possessions than to his expedition partners, Almagro and Hernando de Luque.

In addition, Francisco Pizarro used to dispose of what he had achieved as loot at will, without counting on his companions. This provoked the anger of Diego de Almagro, who considered himself injured in the distribution of wealth. Soon, that anger turned into a confrontation between their supporters.

On the other hand, Almagro also had a very bad relationship with one of Pizarro's brothers, Hernando, which made the situation worse.

Intervention of the Spanish Crown

The action of the Spanish Crown did not help, precisely, to calm the situation, especially after the promulgation of the New Laws. With these, the Crown intended to strengthen its presence in the discovered lands and appoint new authorities.

One of the laws eliminated the hereditary status of the encomiendas granted and another abolished the temporary work of the indigenous people.

All this caused the conquerors to consider that their efforts were not rewarded and many did not hesitate to take up arms.

The possession of Cuzco

As previously noted, the two conquerors claimed dominion over Cuzco. For Almagro, moreover, it meant recovering a bit from his failed expedition to Chile, where he had not found important riches.

Development

As Almagro's lieutenant had warned, freeing Hernando Pizarro was a great mistake on the part of the conqueror. Immediately, the promise of keeping the peace was forgotten, and Hernando regrouped his people to regain Cuzco.

The war was inevitable and Almagro set in motion. Sick, he had to delegate the direction of the battle to his lieutenant, Rodrigo Orgóñez. He sent his men to control some mountain passes, in order to stop the Pizarro troops.

Despite this, Hernando Pizarro managed to break through the defenses by going around the other side of the mountains. Almagro and his people had to return quickly in the direction of Cuzco.

The pizarristas, however, decided to wait in the Ica valley before heading to the city. Francisco, older for the battle, retired to Lima, leaving his brothers at the head of his army. In April 1538, the Pizarro troops arrived near Cuzco. Almagro was waiting for them after reinforcing the defenses.

Chosen place

According to the chronicles, Almagro proposed to his people to negotiate with the enemy, something to which Rodrigo Orgóñez completely refused. The place chosen to confront the Pizarro brothers was a plain 5 kilometers from Cuzco, known as the pampa de las Salinas.

The battle

After the compulsory mass, Gonzalo Pizarro's men crossed the river that divided the battlefield. As soon as they reached the swamp below, the almagristas began firing their cannons. With difficulty, Gonzalo managed to get out of the jam.

Once accomplished, they were able to occupy a small hill. This allowed them to respond to the shots safely, causing great damage to their enemies.

For his part, Hernando also proceeded to cross the stream, charging fiercely against the enemy. Orgóñez, seeing him, ordered his people to do the same.

Defeat of Almagro

The battle lasted about two hours, during which the Pizarros were gaining positions without interruption. Orgóñez, who had tried to kill Hernando twice, was surrounded by several enemy soldiers. He tried to surrender and hand over his sword, but the response was a stab to the heart that caused his death.

Without their leader, the Almagro troops ended up fleeing pursued by the Pizarristas. Diego de Almagro, who was watching the battle from a nearby hill, tried to escape from certain defeat. However, he ended up being captured.

Consequences

The different sources do not agree on the number of casualties. The most approximate calculation affirms that the dead must have been about 150.

Execution of Almagro

Diego de Almagro was handed over to Hernando Pizarro, who locked him up in the same place where he himself had been a prisoner.

Pizarro feared that the Almagro supporters who remained in the city would try to rise up against him. For this reason, he transferred the prisoner's son to Chachapoyas, distancing him from his father's supporters. Hernando, for his part, rejected all requests for release.

Diego de Almagro was tried for treason against the Crown, in addition to other less serious charges. He was sentenced to die on the scaffold. The inmate tried to convince Hernando Pizarro to forgive him, without any success. He even refused to confess, thinking that would stop the execution.

Finally, Almagro was executed by means of the vile club in his own cell, in secret, to avoid possible civil unrest.

Hegemony by the Pizarro clan

After the victory achieved in the Battle of Las Salinas, the Pizarro clan managed to consolidate its hegemony in the territory. By finishing Almagro, they had eliminated the only man who could stand up to them.

However, the dominance of the Pizarro did not calm the situation in Peru. The confrontations between the conquerors and the Castilian rulers continued to take place for decades. Not even the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, on June 26, 1541, achieved stability in the region.

References

1. Pedagogical Folder. Civil war between the Conquerors. Obtained from folderpedagogica.com
2. Sayago Guzmán, Juan Manuel. Pizarro and Almagro (II): Civil War between the conquerors of Peru. Obtained from archivoshistoria.com
3. López Martínez, Héctor. The Battle of Salinas and its victims. Recovered from e.elcomercio.pe
4. Revolvy. Battle of Las Salinas. Retrieved from revolvy.com
5. Markham, Sir Clements. Civil Wars in Peru, The war of Las Salinas, by Pedro de Cieza de León. Recovered from books.google.es
6. The Ohio State University. Francisco Pizarro. Retrieved from ehistory.osu.edu
7. Minster, Christopher. Biography of Diego de Almagro. Obtained from thoughtco.com.