Francisco de Toledo

Viceroy who laid the foundations of Peru's colonial system, enforced the mita labor draft and executed the last Sapa Inca.

Life

Spanish nobleman

Toledo came from the high Spanish nobility and was appointed Viceroy of Peru in 1569. Peru had just gone through the conquistadors' civil wars, and colonial rule was not yet secure.

Mita system

He spent twelve years touring Peru, forcibly resettling scattered Indians into concentrated "reductions" and systematically enforcing the "mita" system, which compelled Indians to take turns doing forced labor at the Potosí silver mines and the mercury mines; large numbers of laborers died in the shafts. In 1572 he destroyed Vilcabamba and executed the last Sapa Inca, Túpac Amaru.

Executing the last Inca

In 1581 he left office and returned to Spain, dying the following year.

Legacy

Toledo's system laid the foundation for the next two hundred years of colonial rule and became the root of the suffering of the Andes' Indigenous peoples.

Did you know? King Philip II, on learning that he had executed the Sapa Inca, is said to have remarked coldly: "I sent you to serve kings, not to kill kings." (The story is widely told but may not be true.)

Key dates

• 1569Became Viceroy of Peru
• 1572Destroyed Vilcabamba
• 1573Imposed the mita system (approx.)
• 1581Left office
• 1582Died