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Blas Valera (1544 – 1597) was a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest of the
Jesuit Order The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...
in
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, a historian, and a linguist. The son of a Spaniard and an Andean woman, he was one of the first
mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
priests in Peru. He wrote a history of Peru titled ''Historia Occidentalis'' which is mostly lost, although the
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (12 April 1539 – 23 April 1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa and known as El Inca, was a chronicler and writer born in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailing to Spain at 21, he was educated informally there, where he li ...
quoted some of it in his '' General History of Peru''. In 1583 Valera was jailed by the Jesuits. The Jesuits claimed they were punishing Valera for sexual misconduct but more likely the reason was heresy. Valera's writings claimed the Incas were the legitimate rulers of Peru, the Inca's language, Quechua, was equal to
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
as the language of religion, and the Inca religion had prepared the Andean peoples for Christianity. In 1596, still under house arrest, he traveled to Spain. He died there in 1597. In the words of biographer Sabine Hyland, Valera had "concern for the welfare of the indigenous people of Peru" and he made "courageous efforts to defend their civilization and forge a new vision of Andean Christianity."


Life

Blas Valera was born in Chachapoyas, Peru, in 1544 or 1545, the out of wedlock son of Luis Valera, a conquistador of the
Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
, and Francisca Pérez, an Andean woman and possibly a member of the Inca royal family. As a child, Valera spoke Quechua and he studied
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and Spanish in the city of Trujillo and became a competent linguist. His brother Jerónimo, eleven years younger, became a
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
theologian. Valera joined the Jesuit Order in
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
in 1568 and was described as "humble" with a "stable personality and much practical wisdom." He spent about five years as a novice, and was among the first group of
mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
s to be accepted by the Jesuits to study for the priesthood. The Jesuits, new in Peru, were encouraging the use of indigenous languages and cultures as means of spreading Christianity. In 1573, Valera was ordained as a priest and in 1576 he was a Latin teacher and preacher to the Andean (Indian) indigenous population in
Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...
. He became involved with a group of Inca noblemen in the Name of Jesus confraternity. The nobles in the Name of Jesus confraternity formed an alliance with the Jesuits to preserve their royal privileges and to promote the centrality of Cuzco and the Incas to the Catholic faith. In 1577, the Jesuits wished to transfer Valera and another priest, Father Barzana, to
Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...
, but the Incas in Cuzco protested and his transfer was delayed until 1578 or 1579. In Potosí, he apparently founded a Name of Jesus confraternity. In 1582 and 1583, Valera worked in Lima. With other priests, he translated the Roman Catholic
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
into Quechua and Aymara. However, he ran afoul of European-born Jesuits when he claimed that the Inca religion was compatible with Christianity and that Quechua terms could be used to describe Christian doctrine. The unorthodox views of Valera and other mestizo priests led in 1582 to the Jesuit's ban of mestizos from the priesthood. Shortly after the ban, Valera was imprisoned by the Jesuits. The Jesuits sentenced him to four years imprisonment and six years of house arrest. He was permanently stripped of his priestly duties and prohibited from teaching languages. In prison, Valera was forced to pray, perform menial tasks, and undergo weekly "mortifications," which probably included
flagellation Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, Birching, rods, Switch (rod), switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, floggin ...
s. Valera was given the opportunity to join another religious society but he declined, saying that he was innocent. Although the ostensible reason for Valera's imprisonment was sexual indiscretions, his punishment was far more severe than that of other priests accused of the same offense. The more likely reason for his imprisonment was his view that the Incas were the proper rulers of Peru and that Quechua was superior to Spanish and equivalent to Latin as a language of religion. An air of secrecy characterized his incarceration. His punishment was not dictated by the usual means of a trial by the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
. Instead, the matter was referred to Jesuit leadership in Europe. On 11 April 1583 Father Andrés Lopez left Peru for Spain. One of his tasks was to advocate in person that Valera be dismissed from the Jesuit Order. The details of Valera's offense were too secret to be put in writing by the Jesuits. Author Hyland speculates that the Jesuits wished to avoid antagonizing
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
and suppressed Valera's opinions. Valera had run afoul of a Spanish policy established under Viceroy
Francisco de Toledo Francisco Álvarez de Toledo ( Oropesa, 10 July 1515 – Escalona, 21 April 1582), also known as ''The Viceroyal Solon'', was an aristocrat and soldier of the Kingdom of Spain and the fifth Viceroy of Peru. Often regarded as the "best of ...
(ruled 1569–1581) to emphasize the legitimacy of Spanish rule and denigrate the Incas, especially their religion. Prior to Toledo's rule, the indigenous culture of Peru had mostly survived the 40 years since Francisco Pizzaro's overthrow of the Inca Empire. Toledo initiated a massive reorganization of indigenous society. Valera's defense of the Incas and their culture and religion was contrary to Toledo's objectives. The semi-assimilated mestizos, including mestizo priests, were an obstacle to the obliteration of indigenous culture desired by Toledo and subsequent Viceroys. Valera requested to go to Rome to plead his case with Jesuit leader
Claudio Acquaviva Claudio Acquaviva, SJ (14 September 1543 – 31 January 1615) was an Italian Jesuit priest. Elected in 1581 as the fifth Superior General of the Society of Jesus, he has been referred to as the second founder of the Jesuit order. Early life and ...
. He left Peru in 1594, but spent two years in
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
recovering from illness. He finally arrived in Spain in May 1596 where he was initially imprisoned but, on 3 June 1576, Father Cristóbal Mendez wrote Acquaviva that Valera had reformed. He was permitted to teach humanities in Cadiz, but not languages or to hear confessions. Later that year Valera was injured during the sacking of Cadiz by an Anglo-Dutch Fleet. He died on 2 April 1597.


Disputed claims

In the 1980s and 1990s an Italian woman, Clara Miccinelli, announced that she had found 17th century documents proving that Valera did not die in 1597 but rather returned to Peru and became the real author, instead of Guaman Poma, of a lengthy chronicle describing Spanish misrule of Peru. The documents also claim that the
quipu ''Quipu'' ( ), also spelled ''khipu'', are record keeping devices fashioned from knotted cords. They were historically used by various cultures in the central Andes of South America, most prominently by the Inca Empire. A ''quipu'' usually cons ...
s (knotted strings) of the Inca were a true "written" language rather than just a recording device and that Pizarro used poison to defeat and overthrow the Incas. Experts have questioned the authenticity of the documents. Author Hyland believes the documents are probably authentic and date from the 17th century, but that the claims in the documents are fictional and incorrect. She says that the documents may represent the views of some 17th century Jesuits critical of Spanish rule.


Works

Valera was the author of four known works. Most of his writings are lost, but their character can be ascertained through their use as sources by other authors. His first known work written in 1579 or earlier was a history of the spread of Christianity among the indigenous people of the Andes. The second was a lengthy history of the Incas which was mostly destroyed in the sacking of Cadiz in 1596. The parts that survived were cited and quoted by, among others,
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (12 April 1539 – 23 April 1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa and known as El Inca, was a chronicler and writer born in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailing to Spain at 21, he was educated informally there, where he li ...
in his ''Comentarios Reales de los Incas'' published in 1609. Garcilaso said that Valera's Latin was "elegant." Valera also wrote a Quechua Vocabulary which was more like an encyclopedia. He expressed his admiration for the Inca Emperor Atahuallpa who he said was a Christian saint in heaven. The "Vocabulario" was a source, sometimes not attributed due to Valera's poor standing with the Jesuits, for Giovanni Anello Oliva in his histories of the Incas. The fourth work, and the only one which is known to exist in its entirety is "An Account of the Ancient Customs of Peruvian Natives." Most of the "Account" describes the religion of the Incas in highly favorable terms, apparently to counter negative descriptions of Inca religion by other writers. It was written by Valera while he was recuperating from illness in Quito in 1594 and 1595.


References


Sources

* Hyland, Sabine
The Jesuit & the Incas: The Extraordinary Life of Padre Blas Valera
S.J. (The University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, Michigan) 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valera, Blas Chroniclers Peruvian male writers 16th-century Spanish historians 16th-century Peruvian Jesuits 1544 births 1597 deaths People from Chachapoyas province Spanish chroniclers Historians of Peru Indigenous writers of the Americas Mestizo writers Spanish colonization of the Americas Scholars of the Incan civilization 16th-century writers in Latin