Diego de Rojas

Diego de Rojas (Burgos, Spain, 1500 - Maquijata, current Province of Santiago del Estero, 1544) was a Spanish soldier, explorer and conquistador of the mid-century XVI.

Explorations and conquests in America

He arrived in the city of Santo Domingo in 1516. Years later, in 1522, he moved to Mexico where he was under the orders of Hernán Cortés. Later, he was part of the conquering army of Pedro de Alvarado, participating in the conquests of the current countries of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Conquest of El Salvador

After the second founding of San Salvador in 1528, he was sent along with other captains to finish the conquest of what is now El Salvador. In this way, in 1529, he began the conquest of the eastern zone of that current country, dominated by the indigenous Lencas.

Taken prisoner by Martín Estete, sent by Pedrarias Dávila to take over San Salvador and conquer the Lenca territories, he was freed when Captain Francisco de Orduña defeated Martín Estete.

They then settled in Acajutla at the end of 1532. Together with Pedro de Portocarrero they were in charge of the conquest and pacification of the indigenous peoples of the Costa del Bálsamo.

Conquest and exploration of Peru and Argentina

In 1536 he traveled to what is now Peru, as part of a relief corps to help Francisco Pizarro's army.

In 1538 he participated in Gonzalo Pizarro's expedition along with thousands of allied Indians, who entered the territories of the yamparas, cara-caras and the so-called charcas. Gonzalo, exploring the terrain, determined that the regions were formed " Provincia de los Charcas”—Province of Charcas—and that they would be within the Spanish Empire. Gonzalo informed his brother Francisco Pizarro and is convinced to start a foundation in the said Province of Charcas. While Gonzalo reported to his brother, he would leave Diego de Rojas as the person in charge or lieutenant governor of the Province of Charcas - his first lieutenant governor -, this with the help of the indigenous people in confronting the Chiriguanaes, carrying his success over the chiriguanaes. Later Diego de Rojas left for the south east to enter the Chiriguanaes and met Pedro de Candia, Rojas in order to advance towards the Chunchos, leaving Francisco de Aguirre as lieutenant governor at the end of 1539, then he followed the paths of Rojas, thus leaving the Chiriguanaes of the southern valley. On April 16, 1540, the current city of Sucre was founded under the name of “Villa de La Plata” or “Villa de La Plata de la Nueva Toledo” by Pedro Anzúrez de Camporredondo —Peranzúrez, Peranzules or Pero de Anzúres—, on the base of an indigenous town that would be called Chuquiochata, following orders from Francisco Pizarro.

Thanks to Francisco César's expedition, news reached Peru of the existence of the La Plata River and of a large amount of wealth of gold, silver and precious stones (emeralds), as well as livestock and well-dressed indigenous people. This is why in 1543, the governor of Peru, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro, gave permission to Captain Diego de Rojas to organize an expedition to those lands together with Felipe Gutiérrez y Toledo and Nicolás de Heredia. He authorized him to cross through the Sierra Nevada and enter the region that the Incas called the Tucma or Tucumán.

Entrance to Tucumán

Gutiérrez and Heredia each contributed the sum of 30,000 pesos and gathered around 300 Spaniards with 200 horses, around 100 blacks and around 10,000 yanaconas.

Rojas was a man of fortune, since he owned a silver mine on the Porco hill, next to a property owned by Gonzalo Pizarro. Before his departure, he jointly acquired a ship with Felipe Gutiérrez.

This exploration was the first contact between the natives of what is now Northwest Argentina and Europeans. They decided to leave in batches, so that they would be better supplied during the trip and so that the Yanacona indigenous people would have a little less work. Diego de Rojas left for the front from the city of Cuzco; General Felipe Gutiérrez and Field Master Nicolás de Heredia then left.

When the expedition arrived at Chicoana, a dairy farm located on the Inca trail in the Calchaquí Valleys, Rojas saw Castilian chickens and received news from the aborigines that further south there was a large town, with an area very rich in metals. of gold and silver. It was then that the people who accompanied him begged him to leave the eastern road that led to the Arauco River and enter the region that the indigenous people indicated to him as prosperous.

When the rest of the expedition arrived with Heredia, Gutiérrez and Francisco de Mendoza, Rojas convinced them to change their route further south, entering Tucumán. There were some confrontations with the aborigines, who were extremely scared when they saw the Spaniards riding horses, animals they did not know. They believed that these were enormous beasts, that they understood Christians and that they killed all the indigenous people they found. The Spanish had killed more than 200 indigenous people and wounded many others.

It was a very difficult advance due to lack of water, thirst, hunger, and loss of some men and animals. The prevailing heat was intense, it was midsummer, between December 1543 or January 1544. The only thing they had to eat was the fruit of the carob tree.

When the Rojas expedition arrived in what is now the province of Santiago del Estero, the advance party encountered a group of indigenous people in a hostile attitude, with their faces painted in war, their heads covered in plumage and with their bows., arrows, clubs and chuzas ready. The Spanish troop, which was alerted by its aboriginal guides, advanced slowly. The infantry with the fuses of their muskets ready to light and fire, and the cavalry with their swords ready. At that moment the priest of the expedition, Fray Francisco Galán, in a prudent and conciliatory attitude, came forward together with his translator in order to establish a dialogue and demand peace. From the opposite side appeared an Aboriginal man who was missing a leg, who was carried on a litter by eight of his people. It was about the Canamico chief.

The dialogue at that meeting between the Canamico chief and Captain Diego de Rojas, achieved thanks to the management of Father Galán, made it possible at that time to overcome that situation, and to be able to continue the progress of the expedition towards the south, towards Maquijata, today Villa La Punta.

Death of Diego de Rojas

However, the indigenous people of the Maquijata area decided to confront and stop the Spanish invader, and to do so they smeared the tips of their arrows with poison. It was there where a confrontation took place in which Rojas was wounded in the leg with a poisoned arrow. After dying for several days, he died in January 1544.

After discussions after Rojas' death, two sides were formed. One directed by Felipe Gutiérrez, who decided to continue towards Chile. The other, led by Francisco de Mendoza, chose to continue south.

Legacy

Rojas was the first Spaniard to arrive in what is now the province of Santiago del Estero. His expedition has the merit of having explored the entire Tucumán to Córdoba from end to end. It was the union of Peru with the River Plate. This expedition served to discover the indigenous nations that populated the territory: the Calchaquíes, the Diaguitas, the Tonocotés, the Lules and the Comechingones.

The entry of Diego de Rojas to Tucumán was the beginning of the conquest and exploration of the Argentine Northwest that would lay the foundations for the subsequent conquest and colonization of Juan Núñez de Prado, continued by Francisco de Aguirre. Of the members of Rojas's expedition, twenty-eight later returned with Núñez de Prado.