A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 05: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the

In Short

This volume brings together sixteenth- and seventeenth-century accounts of Spanish conquest and conflict across Peru, Chile, and North America. Compiled by Robert Kerr from period histories, the text chronicles the chaotic civil wars that erupted among the conquistadors after the fall of the Inca Empire, the grueling Spanish campaigns to subdue the fiercely independent Araucanian people of Chile, and the disastrous, wandering expeditions of Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto through the North American southeast. Rather than a glorified march of empire, the volume exposes the brutal realities of early colonial expansion: mutinous generals, fragile alliances, unforgiving landscapes, and native populations that fought back with terrifying persistence. Through detailed military reports, administrative records, and early ethnographic observations, Kerr presents a sweeping history of greed, ambition, and survival. It has lasted as an indispensable primary source collection, preserving the raw, unvarnished perspectives of the men who mapped and destroyed worlds.

The Story

The chronicle opens in the bitter aftermath of Francisco Pizarro's death, as Peru dissolves into chaos. The Spanish Crown attempts to impose order by sending a viceroy, Blasco Nunnez Vela, to enforce new laws designed to restrict the conquistadors' absolute power over native labor. Instead of establishing peace, the viceroy’s rigid rule provokes open rebellion. Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of the late conqueror, raises an army of disgruntled settlers and usurps authority, driving the viceroy out of Lima. The colony fractures into opposing factions, each claiming royal authority while executing two contradictory judicial systems. Gonzalo Pizarro’s lieutenant, the ferocious Francisco de Carvajal, terrorizes the country, ruthlessly hunting down royalists and amassing plunder.

Seeing Peru slip from its grasp, the Spanish Crown dispatches Pedro de la Gasca, an astute and soft-spoken ecclesiastic granted sweeping power to restore order. Lacking an army, Gasca uses diplomacy, amnesties, and targeted promises to undermine the rebels. Arriving at the Isthmus of Panama, he quietly wins over Pizarro’s naval commanders one by one. As Gasca advances into Peru, Gonzalo Pizarro’s support evaporates; key officers desert him on the eve of battle, leaving him to be captured and executed. Yet Gasca’s departure does not bring lasting peace. Discontented soldiers, furious over what they consider inadequate rewards, ignite new insurrections across Peru and Central America, leading to the murder of governors and the execution of rebel leaders before order is precariously re-established.

The narrative then shifts south to the kingdom of Chile, where the Spaniards face an entirely different struggle. Having easily subdued the northern regions once claimed by the Incas, Spanish forces under Pedro de Valdivia push south into the territory of the Araucanians. Here, the invaders encounter a fiercely decentralized, highly organized indigenous society that refuses to submit. Led by brilliant military tacticians like Caupolican and the young commander Lautaro, the Araucanians learn European cavalry tactics, adapt to Spanish weaponry, and wage a relentless war of attrition.

The conflict in Chile quickly becomes a meat grinder for Spanish troops. Fortresses like Arauco are besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt in a grueling cycle of violence. Even when Spanish commanders win decisive pitched battles and slay high-ranking toquis (war chiefs), the Araucanians refuse to negotiate away their independence. Decades of warfare drain the resources of the viceroyalty, forcing the Spaniards to maintain a costly standing army on the frontier. The struggle only stabilizes in the mid-seventeenth century when, pressed by the threat of Dutch incursions along the coast, the Spanish Crown is forced to sign the treaty of Quillin, formally recognizing Araucanian sovereignty south of the Biobio River.

Interspersed with these southern campaigns are the tragic, unraveling expeditions into the North American interior. Driven by rumors of vast gold reserves rivaling Peru, Panfilo de Narvaez and later Hernando de Soto land armies on the coast of Florida. Almost immediately, both expeditions fall apart. Narvaez’s men are harassed by native archers, starved by a lack of provisions, and forced to slaughter their horses to build makeshift barks, only to be swallowed by storms in the Gulf of Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca and a handful of survivors endure years of captivity and wandering before reaching Spanish settlements.

Undeterred by Narvaez’s fate, Hernando de Soto leads a massive, heavily armed expedition deep into the American southeast. Wandering through modern-day Georgia, Mississippi, and along the Mississippi River, Soto’s men burn native villages, seize hostages, and demand food. However, they encounter fierce resistance from confederacies like the Apalache and Chicasaw, who launch night attacks using incendiary arrows and inflict devastating losses on Spanish armor and livestock. When Soto dies of fever along the riverbanks, his successor, Luis de Alvarado, attempts to lead the hollowed-out army overland toward Mexico, only to be forced back by barren deserts. The surviving soldiers construct crude boats, float down the river while under constant attack, and finally stagger into Mexico, empty-handed, barefoot, and clad in animal skins—the bloody dream of another Golden Empire entirely shattered.

How It Unfolds

The Viceroy is Deposed Tensions reach a boiling point in Lima as the judges of the royal audience arrest Viceroy Blasco Nunnez Vela and transport him in reeds-built floats to an island offshore, eventually deciding to banish him to Spain to face trial.

Gonzalo Pizarro Usurps Power Gonzalo Pizarro enters Lima and establishes himself as governor, creating a rival court that issues decrees contradicting the deposed viceroy, while sending his ruthless lieutenant Carvajal south to crush royalist opposition.

Pedro de la Gasca Arrives Sent by the Spanish Crown without a military force, the priest Pedro de la Gasca arrives in Panama and uses diplomacy, secret promises, and royal pardons to win over Pizarro’s fleet and key captains one by one.

The Fall of Gonzalo Pizarro After building a royalist army and crossing treacherous Andean rivers on improvised bridges, Gasca confronts Gonzalo Pizarro, whose forces desert him mid-field, leading to Pizarro's capture and immediate execution.

Rebellion Spreads to Nicaragua Discontented veterans and banished rebels assassinate the Bishop of Nicaragua in his home and form the "Army of Liberty," attempting to intercept royal treasure fleets on the Pacific coast before being defeated.

Valdivia Invades Araucania Spanish forces under Pedro de Valdivia push south from central Chile into the territory of the Araucanians, building forts and laying claim to lands that the local population resolves to defend to the death.

Lautaro Repels the Spaniards The young Araucanian general Lautaro employs brilliant guerrilla tactics, repelling multiple Spanish counter-attacks and threatening the settlement of St. Jago before falling in a surprise dawn raid.

The Battle of Quipeo Governor Don Garcia wins a costly victory over the Araucanian chief Caupolican, executing him and briefly believing the nation subdued, only for new leaders like Nangoniel and Cadeguala to immediately resume the war.

Dutch Threats and the Quillin Peace Realizing they cannot conquer Araucania while defending the coast from Dutch fleets, Spanish authorities sign the Treaty of Quillin, establishing a permanent border along the Biobio River and ending decades of formal war.

Narvaez Shipwrecks in Florida An ill-fated expedition under Panfilo de Narvaez breaks down in the swamps of Florida, forcing the men to eat their horses and build fragile barks that founder in the Gulf of Mexico.

Soto Marches into the Interior Hernando de Soto lands nine hundred men and over three hundred horses in Florida, marching north through hostile native kingdoms in a futile, years-long search for gold and precious metals.

The Burning of Chicoza Native warriors launch a midnight surprise attack on Soto’s winter quarters at Chicoza, using flaming arrows to burn the town, destroy crucial Spanish armor, and incinerate dozens of horses and supplies.

Escape Down the Mississippi Following Soto’s death from fever, the shattered remnants of his army build improvised brigantines, navigate down the Mississippi River under relentless arrow fire, and finally reach safety in Mexico.

The People

Gonzalo Pizarro Driven by an absolute ambition to retain the riches and authority his family won in Peru, Gonzalo position himself as the champion of Spanish conquistadors against royal overreach. What stands in his way is the Crown's authority and his own inability to maintain the loyalty of his officers when faced with royal pardons. He ends up betrayed by his own army on the battlefield and beheaded as a traitor.

Pedro de la Gasca An unpretentious, politically brilliant ecclesiastic who desires nothing more than to restore Peru to royal obedience without unnecessary bloodshed. He faces an entrenched military dictatorship and widespread colonial rebellion. By using diplomacy, patience, and targeted amnesties rather than brute force, he successfully dismantles Gonzalo Pizarro's coalition and leaves the country peaceful and reorganized.

Francisco de Carvajal Gonzalo Pizarro’s elderly lieutenant general, whose sole aim is the brutal enforcement of rebel control and the accumulation of personal wealth. Standing in his way are royalist resistance forces and his own terrifying reputation for sadism, which alienates his allies. He ends up executed alongside Pizarro, abandoning thousands of crowns in gold when his men finally desert.

Lautaro A brilliant young Araucanian military strategist who seeks to preserve his people's absolute freedom from Spanish subjugation. He faces the superior armor, horses, and firearms of the Spanish military. Through tactical adaptability and bold leadership, he repeatedly defeats Spanish forces until he is killed in a surprise attack, becoming a enduring legend of Araucanian resistance.

Hernando de Soto A veteran, wealthy conquistador driven by an obsessive desire to discover a second Peru in North America. Standing in his way are the harsh, trackless wilderness, the absence of mineral wealth, and the fierce tactical resistance of southeastern native nations. He ends up dying of fever along the banks of the Mississippi River, his fortune wasted and his army ruined.

Cabeza de Vaca A treasurer on Narvaez’s tragic expedition who simply wants to survive and return to Spanish territory. Standing in his way are shipwreck, extreme starvation, and years of captivity among various indigenous tribes. Through sheer endurance and adaptability, he survives years of wandering across the continent, eventually reaching Mexico and documenting the disaster.

In Its Own Voice

When the rebellious Contreras brothers decided to launch an open insurrection against Spanish authorities in Nicaragua, they gathered a desperate band of outcasts and banished soldiers to march under a bold new title:

"After this, they openly collected their followers and displayed their standard, assuming the title of the Army of Liberty; and seizing a sufficient number of vessels, they embarked on the Pacific Ocean with the intention of intercepting the viceroy on his voyage from Lima to Panama, intending to plunder him of all the treasure he was conveying to Spain."

In the midst of the brutal, unrelenting war between the Spanish crown and the Araucanian people, the native warriors demonstrated an extraordinary resistance to European terms of surrender, even when completely surrounded:

"In vain the Spanish commander repeatedly offered quarter; they continued fighting with the utmost obstinaey till every man of them was cut off, many of them even throwing themselves."

As Hernando de Soto pushed his exhausted army deeper into the North American wilderness, his tactical caution was constantly tested by night attacks from local tribes utilizing fire as a weapon:

"At length after two hours hard fighting, the Indians were constrained to fly, and were pursued as far as they could be seen by the light from the burning houses, after which Soto sounded a retreat."

What It's Really About

Beneath its detailed chronological accounts of battles, marches, and colonial administration, this volume is an anatomy of imperial hubris and the breakdown of authority. It exposes how quickly law and civil order disintegrate when sudden, unimaginable wealth is paired with unchecked power far from the governing center. The narrative demonstrates that the greatest threat to Spanish dominion in the Americas was not native resistance, but the insatiable greed and lawlessness of the conquistadors themselves, who turned upon one another the moment their authority was questioned.

At the same time, the text serves as a profound meditation on the limits of military conquest. In the Chilean chapters, the grand narrative of European expansion runs headlong into a society that cannot be conquered by traditional means, forcing an empire to recognize indigenous sovereignty. In the North American chapters, the illusion of easy wealth leads entire armies to wander into ruin, proving that gold cannot be harvested where it does not exist, and that nature and native resistance can swallow even the most formidable military force.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a raw, unvarnished look at the realities of early modern conquest, far removed from romanticized historical myths. Readers who appreciate gritty history, military strategy, and true tales of extreme human endurance will find it deeply compelling. Reading it feels like sitting in an archive with real colonial dispatches, field journal entries, and trial transcripts; the prose is formal, measured, and matter-of-fact, letting the inherent drama of mutinies, sea voyages, and wilderness survivals carry the narrative.

The book does present significant friction for a modern reader. As a nineteenth-century compilation of sixteenth-century sources, it is exceptionally long, dense with archaic place names, and laden with period spelling variations. It contains explicit descriptions of severe colonial violence, harsh military executions, and pervasive period attitudes that treat indigenous populations as subjects to be claimed or enemies to be subdued. Yet, for those willing to navigate its dense detail, what stays with you is the striking contrast between the grand titles of the conquistadors and the grim reality of their ends—dying in swamp mud, betrayed by their closest comrades, or executed on the very soil they sought to claim.