Carvajal, Francisco de [key], 1464?–1548, Spanish conquistador. For 40 years he fought in European wars before going to Mexico and subsequently to Peru, where he aided Francisco Pizarro. He grew rich from the tributory labor of indigenous people, thousands of whom died in his mines at Potosí. He supported (1542) Vaca de Castro against the revolt of Diego de Almagro the younger, but when the New Laws to protect the native people were put in force in Peru (1544), he joined the revolt of Gonzalo Pizarro. He was captured with Gonzalo Pizarro and executed.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Latin American History: Biographies
