Death in the Snow: Pedro de Alvarado and the Illusive Conquest of Peru

Pedro de Alvarado attempted to conquer Peru and claim Quito, but his expedition was defeated by other Spaniards who had reached Quito first. George Lovell's book explores the greed and hubris of Alvarado and the tragic loss of Indigenous lives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 29 November 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Pedro de Alvarado, the renowned conqueror of Mexico and Guatemala, is often remembered as Hernando Cortés' trusted ally in their conquest of Mexico (1519-21). However, his lesser-known ambition was to intervene in Peru's conquest and claim Quito, a wealthy domain in the far north of the Inca Empire. To achieve this, Alvarado assembled a massive fleet that sailed south from Central America, reaching Ecuador on February 25, 1534.

In his book, George Lovell delves into this overlooked aspect of Alvarado's career, shedding light on the gap in the historical record. Lovell narrates a dramatic story of greed and hubris, highlighting Alvarado's formidable entourage, consisting of around five hundred Spanish combatants and two thousand Indigenous conscripts. Despite his intended destination of Quito, Alvarado never reached it. During a treacherous transit across the Andean mountains, his party was engulfed by heavy snowfall and freezing cold, ultimately proving the expedition's downfall.

Survivors of the ordeal discovered that other Spaniards, namely Diego de Almagro and Sebastián de BeLalcázar, had already reached Quito before them, claiming the first right of conquest. Faced with the prospect of conflict between rival factions, Alvarado, in a desperate attempt to avoid further strife, sold his costly machinery of war, including men, horses, weaponry, and ships, to those who had beaten him to the prize. Reduced to near ruin, he returned humiliated to Central America.

Pedro de Alvarado's tale serves as a cautionary reminder of the consequences of ambition and the devastating toll it can take on both conquerors and conquered. "Death in the Snow" sheds light on the delusions of one headstrong conquistador and mourns the loss of countless Indigenous lives, casualties of Alvarado's lust for fame and fortune.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228014409