Lope Garcia de Castro Spanish colonial official Date of Birth: 01.01.1516 Country: Spain

1. Colonial Administrator in the Americas
2. Early Career
3. Temporary Viceroy of Peru
4. Search for Legendary Islands
5. Suppression of Inca Resistance
6. Establishment of the Mint in Lima

Colonial Administrator in the Americas

Lope García de Castro was a Spanish colonial official who served in the Council of the Indies and in the royal audiencias of Panama and Lima. He briefly held the position of viceroy of Peru from 1564 to 1569.

Early Career

In 1563, Castro was sent to Panama to carry out the Council of the Indies' order to dissolve the royal audiencia in Guatemala and incorporate its territory into the jurisdiction of Panama. He arrived in Panama the following year and served as governor until his appointment to Lima.

Temporary Viceroy of Peru

In February 1564, Viceroy Diego López de Zúñiga of Peru died suddenly, leaving the colony under the temporary leadership of Juan de Saavedra. Castro, being a more experienced administrator, was summoned from Panama to replace Saavedra. He arrived in Peru on September 22, 1564, and headed the royal audiencia of Lima, also on a temporary basis, until the arrival of a new viceroy appointed by the king.

Search for Legendary Islands

Despite being appointed on a temporary basis, Castro remained in power for nearly three years, as the new viceroy, Francisco de Toledo, did not arrive until 1569. Among the legends of the Peruvian Indians that most intrigued the Spanish were those about lost lands rich in precious metals and stones. One such legend about the islands of "Hahuachimbi" and "Ninachumbi" prompted Castro to outfit an expedition to search for them.

In a letter to King Philip II of Spain, Castro reported that he had commissioned an expedition of two ships with a hundred Spaniards under the command of his nephew, Álvaro Mendaña de Neira. Mendaña's ships sailed from Callao on November 19, 1567, and after a lengthy journey discovered the Solomon Islands, exploring several of its major islands. The expedition also discovered Tuvalu and the Wake Atoll.

Upon returning to Peru in 1569, Mendaña published an account of his discoveries, describing the Solomon Islands as an extremely wealthy land. However, due to the wars that Spain was engaged in at the time, he was unable to secure the necessary funds for a second expedition. It was only in 1594 that King Philip II ordered the establishment of a colony in the Solomon Islands and appointed Mendaña as governor of San Cristóbal.

Suppression of Inca Resistance

Castro suspected the Incas of preparing a rebellion in Chile and Argentina. After gathering evidence of the plot, the viceroy ordered the confiscation of all horses and firearms from the Indians. In 1567, an expedition under the command of Martín Ruiz de Gamboa was sent to conquer and colonize the island of Chiloé. Captain Ruiz de Gamboa successfully carried out the order, suppressing minor resistance from the Mapuche Indians. A new city named Castro was founded on the island, in honor of the viceroy.

Establishment of the Mint in Lima

On August 21, 1565, a mint was established in Lima by order of King Philip II.