Battle of Abancay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Abancay |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of The Spanish conquest of Peru | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Nueva Castilla |
Nueva Toledo |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alonso de Alvarado (POW) | Diego de Almagro Rodrigo Orgóñez |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown, but probably higher | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Abancay was an important fight during the Spanish conquest of Peru. It happened on July 12, 1537, near the city of Abancay. This battle was part of a bigger disagreement between two groups of Spanish conquerors.
One group was led by Francisco Pizarro, who had conquered the Inca Empire. The other group was led by Diego de Almagro, who was once Pizarro's partner. They were fighting over who would control the rich Inca capital, Cusco.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
After the Spanish took over the Inca Empire, the conquerors started to fight among themselves. Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro were two main leaders. They disagreed about who owned the city of Cusco.
Almagro had captured Cusco and taken some of Pizarro's brothers as prisoners. Pizarro wanted to free his brothers and get Cusco back. He sent a leader named Alonso de Alvarado to help.
Alvarado's March
Alonso de Alvarado was sent by Pizarro to help his brothers. Alvarado had about 500 soldiers with him. He set up his camp near the Abancay River.
His plan was to guard a bridge and a shallow crossing point on the river. He was waiting for Almagro's soldiers to arrive.
The Battle of Abancay
Alvarado thought his position was safe. However, one of his soldiers, Pedro de Lerma, secretly left his post. This allowed Almagro's forces to cross the river easily.
Almagro's army, led by Rodrigo Orgóñez, surprised Alvarado's men. The battle was quick and decisive. Almagro's forces won a big victory.
Who Won?
Almagro's side, known as Nueva Toledo, won the battle. Alvarado and many of his soldiers were captured. This was a major setback for Francisco Pizarro.
Among the captured was Gonzalo Pizarro, Francisco's brother. This meant Almagro still held important prisoners.
What Happened Next
After the battle, Alonso de Alvarado and Gonzalo Pizarro managed to escape. This happened when Almagro moved his main army.
Later, Hernando Pizarro, another of Francisco's brothers, was also set free. Almagro let him go on one condition. Hernando had to promise to return to Spain. This was supposed to stop Francisco from fighting Almagro again.
However, this promise was not kept. The Pizarro brothers and Alvarado quickly gathered another army. They faced Almagro again in a new battle. This next big fight was called the Battle of Las Salinas.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Abancay para niños
