Pedro de Alvarado

Pedro de Alvarado towards 1495 with Badajoz - July 4th 1541 in the Michoacán, was a Spanish soldier . He was called Tonatio by the Indians with the Mexico.

He was one of the best soldiers among the Conquistador S, and remained in the memories like one of cruelest for the indigenous populations.

He obtained a command in forwarding Juan de Grijalva sent since Cuba against the Yucatán to the spring of 1518 and returned a few months later, bringing reports/ratios on the richness and the splendor of the Aztec empire of Montezuma.

In February 1519 it accompanied Hernando the Cortes in forwarding for the conquest by the Mexico, having been promoted as captain of the one of the eleven vessels of the fleet. It acts like principal officer of the Cortes and at the time of the first occupation of the capital of the Aztèque S, Tenochtitlan, it remained in load of the troops left in the city. When Spanish had to withdraw itself after Mexican rising, Alvarado carried out the rear-guard of the conquistadors on July 1st, 1520: it is at the time of this retirement that the Salto de Alvarado - a long jump with the use of its spade like a pole, thanks to which it saved its life - became famous.

It was engaged in the conquest of the highlands of the Guatemala of 1523 with 1527. At the Alvarado beginning was combined with the nation Cakchiquel in its conquest of the traditionally rival indigenous nations of Quiché, but its cruelties quickly alienated Cakchiquiel to him and it needed several years to put an end to their resistance in the area. It was consequently promoted governor of Guatemala by Charles Quint.

In 1534, Alvarado heard accounts on the richnesses of the Peru, moved towards the the Andes, in the south, and tried to subject the province of Quito. But, as of its arrival, it found that the area had already been conquered by Belalcázar, the lieutenant of Francisco Pizarro. The two forces of Conquistadors came almost to the confrontation until Pizarro pays Alvarado to leave.

At the time of a visit in Spain, three years later, Alvarado accepted the load of governor of the Honduras, added to that of governor of Guatemala.

Alvarado still fought to overcome a major rebellion of the Amerindians Mixtón, area of the Nouvelle Galicia. After the failure of an attack against the strengthened peak of Nochistlan, Alvarado carried out a retirement when it was crushed by a horse which lost foot. He died a few days later and was buried in the church of Tiripetio (Michoacán).

Four decades later, his/her daughter Éléonore Alvarado Xicotencatl paid the transport of her skin to Guatemala so that this one is placed in the cathedral of the town of Santiago (nowadays Antigua Guatemala).

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