A History of Paraguay
By Baruja, Paiva & Pinto
Chapter 2
The uncertainties generated by the exit of Pedro de Mendoza took
Carlos V to promulgate a certificate (decree) something one of a
kind in colonial Latin America. The certificates granted the colonists
the right to elect the governor of the Río de Plata province
if Mendoza had not designated a successor or if the successor had
died. Two years later, the colonists elected Irala as governor.
His domain included actual Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and most
of Chile and good parts of Brazil and Bolivia. In 1542 the province
transformed to part of the Virreinato recently established in Peru,
with the capital in Lima. Beginning in 1559, the Audience of Charcas
(actual Sucre, Bolivia) controlled the legal subjects of the province.
The administration of Irala set the standard for the subjects on
the interior of Paraguay until the independence. Asunción
was not only populated by the Spanish, but also by people from France,
Italy, Germany, England, and Portugal. This community of approximately
350 men chose Guaraní women as wives and concubines. Irala
had several aborigine concubines and encouraged his men to marry
Indian women so they would lose feelings of homesickness. Paraguay
quickly became known as a land of mestizos. Following the example
set by Irala, the Europeans raised their children as Spanish who
became the creole elite despite the continual arrivals of more Europeans.
The Guaraní, the Kario, the Tape, the Guarajos, and the Tupi
were tribes who inhabited an immense area that began from the mountainous
regions of the Guyanas near Brazil until the Uruguay River. The
Guaraní were always surrounded by other hostile tribes and
so warred frequently. They considered permanent wives an improper
show of conduct by warriors in the way that some tribes practiced
polygamy with the objective of augmenting the number of offspring.
Many times the caciques had twenty or thirty concubines, of whom
the caciques shared openly with occasional visitors. The chiefs
treated their official wives with respect but did not deny punishing
the adulteresses with death. The following observation is worth
taking note of: as they were polygamous, the Spanish felt inclined
to follow such a way of life. And as they shared the women, the
Indians were decimated by the sifilis, a disease unknown in America
and important to the conquistadores. In that manner, the pure-blood
Guaraní were numerically reduced in the course of the years.
Like other tribes in the zone, the Guaraní were cannibals.
But they normally ate only their prisoners of war who were brave
and gave the hope of acquiring the courage and strength of their
victims.
In contrast with the hospitable Guaraní, the tribes of the
Chaco, like the Payaguás (of where the name Paraguay originated,
according to various versions on the origin of the name of the country),
the Guaycurúes, the M’bayá, the Abipones, the
Mocoríes, and the Chiriguanos were implacable enemies of
the whites. The travelers in the Chaco told how the Indians were
capable of quickly learning the use of the horses (animals of European
origin) to win wars. The Guaraní accepted the arrival of
the Spanish and looked to them for protection from the ferocious
neighboring tribes but also waited for the Hispanics to join them
in battle against the Incas once more.
Las incertidumbres generadas por
la salida de Pedro de Mendoza llevaron a Carlos V a promulgar una
cédula (decreto) algo único en la Latinoamérica
colonial. Las cédulas concedían el derecho para elegir
al gobernador de la provincia del Río de Plata a los colonos
si Mendoza no hubiese designado un sucesor o si el sucesor se hubiese
muerto. Dos años después, los colonos eligieron a
Irala como gobernador. Su dominio incluyó al Paraguay actual,
Argentina, Uruguay, la mayoría de Chile y buenas partes del
Brasil y de Bolivia. En 1542 la provincia se transformó en
parte del Virreinato recientemente establecido del Perú,
con capital en Lima. Iniciándose en 1559, la Audiencia de
Charcas (actual Sucre, Bolivia) controló los asuntos legales
de la provincia.
El gobierno de Irala puso el modelo para los asuntos interiores
de Paraguay hasta la independencia. Además de los españoles,
en Asunción también vivía gente proveniente
de Francia, Italia, Alemania, Inglaterra y Portugal. Esta comunidad
de aproximadamente 350 hombres escogieron como esposas y concubinas
entre las mujeres guaraníes. Irala tenía varias concubinas
aborígenes y animó a sus hombres para que se casaran
con mujeres indias así se eliminaban las ganas de retorno
a la madre patria. El Paraguay se erigió como tierra de mestizos
rápidamente e incitado por el ejemplo de Irala, los europeos
levantaron su descendencia como españoles. No obstante, las
llegadas continuas de más europeos permitieron el desarrollo
de una elite tipificada del criollo.
Los guaraníes, los kario, los tapé, los itatines,
los guarajos y los tupi eran tribus que habitaron una inmensa área
que comienza desde las regiones montañosas de las Guyanas
cerca del Brasil hasta el río Uruguay. Los guaraníes
siempre estaban rodeados por otras tribus hostiles por lo tanto
frecuentemente andaban guerreando. Ellos creían que las esposas
permanentes eran impropias para la conducta de un guerrero de modo
que en algunas tribus practicaban la poligamia con el objetivo de
aumentar el número de descendencia. Los caciques tenían
a menudo veinte o treinta concubinas, las cuales ellos compartían
libremente con visitantes ocasionales. Esos jefes trataban bien
a sus esposas oficiales pero no dudaban en castigar a menudo a las
adúlteras con la muerte. Vale aquí la siguiente observación:
como eran polígamos, tal vez los españoles se sintieron
alentados a seguir tal norma de vida. Y como compartían las
mujeres, los indios se vieron diezmados posteriormente por la sífilis,
enfermedad desconocida en América e importada por los conquistadores.
De esa manera los guaraníes puros se vieron reducidos numéricamente
en el transcurso de los años.
Como las otras tribus de la zona, los guaraníes eran caníbales.
Pero ellos normalmente comían sólo a sus enemigos
más valientes capturados en batalla con la esperanza de adquirir
la valentía y poder de sus víctimas.
En contraste con el guaraní hospitalario, las tribus de Chaco,
como los payaguás (de donde provenía el nombre Paraguay
según una de las varias versiones sobre el origen del nombre
del país), los guaycurúes, los m'bayá, los
abipones, los mocovíes y los chiriguanos eran enemigos implacables
de los blancos. Los viajeros en el Chaco narraban que los indios
eran capaces de aprender rápidamente el uso de los caballos
(animales de origen europeo) para ganar guerras. Los guaraníes
aceptaron la llegada de los españoles y los buscaban para
protección contra las tribus feroces vecinas pero también
esperaron que los hispánicos los llevaran una vez más
a una lucha contra el Inca.
The peaceful era established by
Irala Prevailed in 1542 when Carlos V named Alvar Nuñez Cabeza
de Vaca, one of the famous conquistadores of his era as governor
of the province. Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca arrived at Asuncion
after spending 10 years with the Indians in Florida. The people
who opposed Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca at that time accused
him of abusing his power against the Indians. He needed to get rid
of the people who were against him so he sent them to north of Paraguay
crossing the Chaco in search of route to Peru. This expedition angered
the Indian tribe that lived in the Chaco; in fact it angered them
so much they started a two years war. Alvar Nuñez Cabeza
de Vaca’s time was about to end. In one of the first many
rebellion of the colony against the crown he was arrested and sent
back in chains to Spain.
Irala govern all the way until his death in 1556, in many ways his
governing system was one of the most humane and new to the new world
of Spain which marked a difference with the conquistadores era.
Irala maintain a good relationship with his people and the gurani
Indians. He pacified the hostile Indians in Chaco and started to
trade with Peru. This helped the Paraguayan economy because it boosted
textile reproduction and introduced cattle to Paraguay. The arrival
of Pedro Fernandez de la Torre in abril end 1556, as the founder
of the Catholic Church in Paraguay.
In the last years of his life Irala surrendered to colonial complains
and pressure, causing him to establishing an encomienda. Under this
system, the colonial citizens received land with rights to labor
and production of the Indians living in that area. Although it looked
like a good idea this system failed quickly and turned into slavery.
Although Irala could did not find or conquest like the conquistadores
he was loved by the people and his death was lamented. Irala was
so great that the following rulers were always ruling after his
shadow.
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