BLASCO NÚÑEZ VELA: BIOGRAPHY - HISTORY - 2025

Blasco Núñez Vela (1490 - 1546) was a Spanish politician and military man, known mainly for being the first Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of Peru, during the colonial period of America.

He crossed the Atlantic with a fleet of riches directed towards King Carlos I (Emperor Carlos V of the Holy Empire) of Spain. He was the first Spanish naval commander to cross the Atlantic with the fleet he captained, which was known as the "Fleet of the Indies". He also made important naval decisions that affected the course of the economy between Spain and the New World.

By Own work. Reproduction of a drawing by the Peruvian artist Evaristo San Cristóval., via Wikimedia Commons

The encomenderos, who were in charge of managing the labor of the Indians in the New World, were committing various atrocities against the locals. To avoid this, Carlos V appointed Núñez as Viceroy of Peru.

He remained as Viceroy until his death in the battle of Iñaquito, fought against the conqueror Gonzalo Pizarro, in 1546.

Biography

Genealogy and early works

Blasco Núñez Vela was born in 1490 without knowing the exact day of his birth. He was born in Ávila (autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain), under the bosom of a very old night family; the Núñez Vela family or the men of Tabladillo, who lived in Ávila since 1403.

Although there is no information on the first years of Blasco Núñez Vela's life, it is known about his genealogy and his first activities in Spanish politics.

Núñez Vela was a descendant of Pedro Núñez known for having saved the life of the King of Castile, Alfonso VIII in 1163. Most of his relatives dedicated themselves to the king's service: one of them being the lord of the king's bedroom and the other the archbishop of Burgos.

His father, Luis Núñez Vela, was the lord of the mayorazgo of Tabladillo and his mother Isabel de Villalba. His first activities within politics were related to the positions of magistrate of Malaga and Cuenca, captain of spears and inspector general.

Being captain general of the navy, he made several expeditions to the American continent, so he was already familiar with the New World.

Appointment as Viceroy of Peru

Emperor Carlos V of the Holy Roman Empire or also Carlos I of Spain had a desire to improve the quality of treatment of the Indians in the American continent, which for this he sanctioned certain laws that prohibited the slavery of the Indians.

For that reason, the emperor thought it prudent to send a highly qualified official by him to enforce such laws for their enforcement. Carlos V, was concerned about the attitude of the conquerors when imposing feudalism in America.

The emperor thought that such a figure should be a true representative of the Hispanic Monarchy, as well as his person. It was not an easy job for the emperor to entrust such responsibility, since he had to be sure that he complied with his laws, in addition to getting along with the arrogant conquerors of Peru.

The emperor first noticed Blasco Núñez Vela, who at first rejected the position, but later ended up accepting that responsibility. Although he was an honest and loyal man, he was cold and tough.

Finally, in 1543, Núñez with mature age was granted the title of Viceroy of Peru, who was to establish his viceroyalty in Lima, Peru.

Viceroy of Peru

The first stop that Núñez made was in Panama in 1544. The new viceroy was well received and after a few days they read the laws of Emperor Carlos V. From that moment, many residents were upset by some of the measures.

After his arrival in Peru, he decided to make tours of the Peruvian cities where he eliminated several encomenderos; the conquerors had profited from the work of the natives. The elimination of the encomenderos meant that many indigenous people had to return to their homeland, leaving their families behind.

From there, the rigor of both the viceroy and his laws were frowned upon especially by the conquerors. Like other of his measures, he freed a large number of Indians from the monasteries.

The viceroy's message in all the towns was one: the definitive elimination of slavery with the Indians; something that did not settle well to the conquerors, as well as to many officials and the clergy.

The little receptivity on the part of the locals was imminent, which is why Núñez doubted about the application of the emperor's laws. In fact, he tried to meet with Spanish landowners to intercede with the emperor; however, he himself denied the suspension.

Tension and dismissal

After the incidents with the application of the emperor's laws, Núñez was filled with anger at the disobedience of the conquerors. The most radical act of the viceroy was the murder of the Spanish conqueror Illán Suárez de Carbajal, who murdered with his bare hands in a fit of anger.

After the assassinated barbarian of Suárez de Carbajal, the judicial bodies of the Crown of Castile were inclined to defend the rights of the encomenderos to get rid of the viceroy and gain more popularity.

Núñez believed that he could count on the support of the conqueror Gonzalo Pizarro; otherwise, Pizarro had raised a small group that was against Núñez as viceroy of Peru.

Finally, the viceroy was sent prisoner to the Island of San Lorenzo to be handed over to Judge Juan Álvarez. However, Álvarez decided to release him, handing him command of the ship.

Civil war and death

Núñez ordered to move to Tumbes where he disembarked in the place in mid-October. He gathered an army and headed south to fight the conquerors. On the other hand, Pizarro entered Lima later with an army of approximately 1,200 experienced soldiers, with weapons and artillery.

Pizarro had been sworn in as interim governor and captain general of Peru until the king could find a replacement. Both Núñez and Pizarro swore their loyalty to the King of Spain, but each fought for a personal goal.

Núñez's forces left San Miguel and continued their journey; when Pizarro found out, he left Lima heading north, specifically towards Trujillo. During Núñez's advance, some clashes were fought between both sides.

Núñez became suspicious of several of his officers. In fact, when his forces were on the move, he gave an order for three of his highest ranking officers to be executed.

Finally, Núñez and Pizarro clashed in Iñaquito. The forces of both armies did not reach 2,000 soldiers, but Núñez's army only numbered a few hundred soldiers.

The general, now advanced in age, fought valiantly in Iñaquito against his enemies. However, he fell in battle on January 18, 1546.

References

1. Blasco Núñez Vela, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. Blasco Nuñez Vela y Villalba, Viceroy of Peru, Portal Geni, (nd). Taken from geni.com
3. Blasco Núñez Vela, Website Biographies and Lives, (nd). Taken from biografiasyvidas.com
4. Biography of Blasco Núñez de Vela, Portal Historia del Nuevo Mundo, (nd). Taken historiadelnuevomundo.com
5. Núñez Vela, Blasco, editors of The Columbia Encyclopedia, (nd). Taken from encyclopedia.com