author
Pedro Sancho
A firsthand chronicler of the Spanish conquest of Peru, he left one of the period’s most direct eyewitness accounts. His life also moved far beyond the page, from royal appointments to violent colonial power struggles in South America.
1 Audiobook
An Account of the Conquest of Peru
by Pedro Sancho
About the author
Born in Calahorra in 1514, Pedro Sancho de la Hoz—also known as Pedro Sánchez de la Hoz—was a Spanish merchant, chronicler, and conquistador. He is best known in literary and historical circles as the secretary to Francisco Pizarro and as the author of an important early account of the first stage of the conquest of Peru.
His writing stands out because it comes from someone who was close to the events he described. Reference sources consistently note that he wrote a valuable eyewitness narrative of the conquest at Pizarro’s request, which helps explain why his work still appears in modern editions and historical collections.
Sancho de la Hoz was also drawn into the politics of empire. He was appointed adelantado of Terra Australis in 1539, later became involved in Pedro de Valdivia’s Chilean campaign, and was executed in Santiago in December 1547 after plotting against colonial authority. No suitable confirmed portrait image was found from the pages reviewed.