Historical Figures Codexery

Pedro de Alvarado

Spanish conquistador of Central America, known for his military skill and cruelty.

Pedro de Alvarado

Tomás Povedano · via Wikipedia: Pedro de Alvarado · Public domain

In 1541, while trying to suppress a native uprising in Mexico, Alvarado was crushed by a horse and passed away a few days later.[1]

Quick Facts

Born
1485
Birthplace
Badajoz, Extremadura, Crown of Castile
Died
4 July 1541 (aged 55 or 56)
Place of death
Guadalajara, Viceroyalty of New Spain
Cause of death
Crushed by horse
Spouse
Francisca de la Cueva (m. 1527; died 1532); Beatriz de la Cueva, 17 October 1538
Partner
Luisa de Tlaxcala (1519–1535)
Children
5 (3 with Luisa)

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Pedro de Alvarado was born in 1485 in Badajoz, Extremadura, to Gómez de Alvarado and Leonor de Contreras.[2] He crossed the Atlantic Ocean before 1511, possibly in 1510, and soon established a friendship with Hernán Cortés on Hispaniola.[3][4] In 1518, Alvarado captained a ship on Juan de Grijalva's expedition, which explored the Yucatán coast and received news of the Aztec Empire.[5][6] During Cortés' 1519 expedition to Mexico, Alvarado commanded a ship and acted as Cortés' second in command in Tenochtitlán.[7][8]

While Cortés was away, Alvarado perpetrated the Massacre in the Great Temple, killing Aztec nobles and priests.[9] He led the rear-guard during the escape known as La Noche Triste and was badly wounded.[10] Alvarado conquered the K'iche' kingdom, formed an alliance with the Kaqchikel, and defeated the Tz'utujil and Xinca peoples.[11][12][13][14] He declared Iximche the first capital of Guatemala in 1524.[15]

Under Diego de Velázquez's command, Alvarado joined Cortés for the Cuba conquest and subsequently ran a successful hacienda in that colony.[3][16]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Biography of Pedro de Alvarado, Conquistador", ThoughtCo; "Biography of Pedro de Alvarado, Conquistador", ThoughtCo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Recinos 1986, p. 9.; Recinos 1986, pp. 9–10.; Recinos 1986, p. 9.; Recinos 1986, p. 10.; Recinos 1986, pp. 10, 21. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Recinos 1986, p. 16. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gall 1967, p. 38. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 759.; Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 759. Clendinnen 2003, p. 14.; Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 759. Recinos 1986, p. 18.; Recinos 1986, p. 18.; Clendinnen 2003, pp. 14–15. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Clendinnen 2003, p. 16.; Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 760. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Conquered Conquistadors", Florine G.L. Asselbergs, First Edition, published 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: García Añoveros 1987, p. 245. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books,; Levy, Buddy. Conquistador. Bantam Books, 2009, p.166 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books,; Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books,; Hanson, "Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power", Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2007-12-18; Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Recinos 1986, p. 75.; Recinos 1986, pp. 74–5. Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp. 764–765.; Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 765. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schele & Mathews 1999, p. 297. Guillemín 1965, p. 9.; Recinos places all these dates two days earlier (e.g. the Spanish arrival at Iximche on 12 April rather than 14 April) based on vague dating in Spanish primary ; Schele and Mathews 1999, p. 297. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 765.; Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 765. Recinos 1986, p. 82.; Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 765. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Letona Zuleta et al., p. 5.; Letona Zuleta et al., p. 6. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  15. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schele & Mathews 1999, p. 297. Recinos 1998, p. 101. Guillemín 1965, p. 10. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  16. Wikipedia, "Pedro de Alvarado" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Recinos 1986, p. 17.; Recinos 1986, p. 16.; Recinos 1986, p. 17. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pedro de Alvarado (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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