Pedro de Candia
Pedro de Candia was a Venetian explorer and cartographer at the service of the Kingdom of Spain, an officer of the Royal Spanish Navy that under the Spanish Crown became a Conquistador, Commander of the Royal Spanish Fleet of the Southern Sea, Colonial Ordinance of Cusco, and then Mayor of Lima between 1534 and 1535. Specialized in the use of firearms and artillery, he was one of the earliest explorers of Panama and the Pacific coastline of Colombia, and finally participated in the conquest of Peru. He was killed in the Battle of Chupas,, on 16 September 1542, by Almagro II">Diego de Almagro">Almagro II.
Early life
He was born on the island of Crete, which then was part of the Republic of Venice, known as the Kingdom of Candia, in the city of Heraklion. He left the island through one of his mother's relatives at the service of the Crown of Aragon, who took him to the Kingdoms of Italy. During his period in Italy, he was training to become a Condottiero and trained in the arms; he fought against the Turks and in the Italian campaigns including the Battle of Pavia, before transferring to the Iberian peninsula to serve the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, led by Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand the Catholic. Pedro was eventually married in Spain at Villalpando.Conquest of Peru
During his first incursion, he went to America with Governor Pedro de los Ríos in 1526 to explore Panama and the Colombian coastline.Then sent by the Spanish Crown assigned on a special edict to engage with local natives, he accompanied Diego de Almagro and Francisco Pizarro during their first explorations along the coasts of Peru, and at the landing of Tacamez, north of Guayaquil, by then he had already the command of the artillery. He was one of the "Famous Thirteen", who survived and remained in the islands of Gallo and Gorgona with Pizarro. From there, subsequently launched the explorations of the Peruvian coastline and Inca ports, then as part of the special assignment, he undertook to go in person to the Inca towns to engage with the locals and investigate their living conditions. He then visited Tumbez and then accompanied Pizarro to Spain to inform Charles V of their discoveries, the emperor made Candia commander-in-chief of artillery of the fleet sent out to conquer Peru.
He was present at the defeat and imprisonment of the Inca king Atahualpa, and received a large share of the ransom paid by him. While residing at Cuzco, he made arms and ammunition for Pizarro, who was then fighting against Almagro.
After the defeat of Almagro at Battle of Las Salinas, Candia undertook the conquest of Ambaya beyond the Andes, but was unsuccessful, being finally arrested by order of Hernando Pizarro. Disgusted at his treatment, and deserted by his old friends, he then joined the followers of Almagro and, with the aid of sixteen other Greeks, brought the guns that were taken by young Almagro to the battle of Chupas, where Candia supported the local natives by performing badly in the battle. Almagro suspected treason and ordered his troops to kill Candia after attacking him with his own hands.