Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal was a Spanish lieutenant and occasional soldier who founded the city of Arequipa in Peru on August 15th, 1540, and called it "La Villa Hermosa de Arequipa." Like many of the Spanish Conquistadors that came to the Americas, he was born in Extremadura, Spain, and explored present-day Arequipa as an emissary of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.

Soon after the capture and execution of Atahualpa and the conquest of the Inca Empire assured, Francisco Pizarro set about sending numerous Spanish delegations across Peru with the intention of founding new cities so as to consolidate the dominions he acquired. Such was the case behind the exploration of what would become the city of Arequipa and the Spanish delegation headed by its principal founder, Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, who followed the advice of Pizarro and explored southern Peru under his command. During the exploration, Carbajal and his followers reached the coast of Camaná and settled there briefly. To their dismay, however, many started suffering from fever and other illnesses and soon decided they needed a healthier, more habitable place for the Spanish delegation.

As a result, the conquistadors decided to move inland and soon reached the current site of Arequipa's Plaza de Armas cathedral and planted a cross in the empty territory as a sign and custom that a cathedral would be built there. There is also no doubt that Carbajal was also awed and inspired by the view of El Misti volcano in the background of the city he was about to establish. Also, the territory and climate of Arequipa seemed adequate and pleasing, prompting Carbajal to begin establishing right away the grid of streets as drawn up by the orders of Pizarro.

Many of the other early developments of the city were done under the direct guidance of Carbajal and in consultation with Pizarro and his followers. Many sources say Pizarro himself was in Arequipa in 1539 with the intention of participating in the city's foundation, but nevertheless had to leave immediately upon being called to celebrate an interview of peace with Manco Inca in Yucay (19 miles away from Machu Picchu). Of the developments in Arequipa after these years little is known. Carbajal, meanwhile, decided to build himself his permanent living quarters in what would later be called "La Mansión del Fundador," located on the present-day border of the Socabaya River in the small countryside town of Huasacache (20 km from the Plaza de Armas).

Throughout the centuries the house deteriorated but was again restored in the early 1980's and is now frequently visited by tourists despite having changed owners many times. When Carbajal past away no one knew for certain where the remains of his body ended, with local legends saying he could be interred in a supposed subterranean pathway under Arequipa's plaza de armas cathedral, like Francisco Pizarro's body in Lima.

See also

• Spanish conquest of Peru

External links

• History of Garcí Manuel de Carbajal's Mansion
• First Spaniards in Arequipa (in Spanish)