Garci Manuel de Carbajal

Garci Manuel de Carbajal (Plasencia, c. 1502-Arequipa, 1552), was a lieutenant governor who collaborated with Juan de la Torre and Díaz Chacón in the founding of the city of Arequipa, in Peru.

Biography

Garci Manuel de Carbajal was born in Plasencia, Extremadura, Spain. He was the son of Juan Manuel Villena and Elena de Carbajal. He married Luisa de Vivar, also known as Luisa de Biedma, with whom he had a son Diego de Carbajal, who married Leonor Méndez.

Work in Peru

Garci Manuel de Carbajal previously explored the territory where the town of Arequipa was settled, in present-day Peru, acting as an emissary of Francisco Pizarro. In the position of lieutenant governor, he collaborated with Juan de la Torre and Díaz Chacón in the founding of the city of Arequipa, previously searching for the appropriate site that offered health, good agricultural land, and guaranteed the obtaining of basic resources, such as water, hunting. and fishing for the complementary support of its inhabitants. The founding of the town took place on August 15, 1540, with the name "La Villa Hermosa de Arequipa."

Shortly after the capture and execution of the Inca Atahualpa, and with the conquest of the Inca Empire assured, Francisco Pizarro sent several delegations of Spaniards throughout the Governorate of Nueva Castilla with the intention of creating new cities that would allow them to consolidate the new domains. The delegation led by Carbajal traveled to southern Peru in accordance with Pizarro's instructions. During the expedition, Carbajal and his men reached the coast of Camaná and settled there briefly. Many of the members of the expedition began to suffer from fevers and other illnesses, which forced them to change locations.

They decided to move inland and soon arrived at what is currently the main square of Arequipa, marking the large terrain with a cross and indicating that they would build a cathedral there. The terrain and cool climate were suitable so Carbajal began to establish the street network that Pizarro had proposed.

Many of the first developments of the city were carried out directly under the orders of Carbajal who consulted with Pizarro. Some accounts say that Pizarro himself was in Arequipa in 1539 with the intention of participating in the founding of the city but had to leave very soon to attend peace negotiations with Manco Inca in Yucay (19 miles from Machu Picchu). Little is known about the subsequent events in Arequipa.

Carbajal meanwhile decided to build a house there that would later be called "The Founder's Mansion", located near the current edge of the Socabaya River in the small town of Huasacache (20 km from the Plaza de Armas). The mansion fell into disrepair over time but was restored in the 1980s and is now a tourist attraction.

It is not known with certainty where he was buried. According to local legends, he is buried in a tunnel beneath the Arequipa cathedral, just like Pizarro in Lima.