transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:04] Welcome to Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim & Mild.

Speaker 2:
[00:12] Our world is full of the unexplainable. And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. In 1593, Mexico City was somehow both old and new at the same time. Built over the Aztec city Tenochtitlan, it was the seat of power for what was known as New Spain, the area encompassing much of North America. Back then, there was no such country as the United States nor Mexico. It was all an extension of the Spanish Empire into the New World. At the center of Mexico City lay the Plaza Mayor, a wide open plaza where the Viceroy's Palace sat. And on October 26th of 1593, palace guards noticed an odd man wandering the plaza. He looked dazed and uncertain. More oddly than that, though, he was wearing some kind of uniform, but not one anyone in Mexico City recognized. The guards approached this man, asking him who he was and where he came from. The man introduced himself as Gil Perez. He asked the guards where he was, and they told him that he was in Mexico City, and he seemed completely incredulous over that news. When pressed to tell them where he came from, all he would say is this. He was a guard at the Governor's Palace in Manila. He had dozed off at his post, and when he opened his eyes, he was here in Mexico City. The guards were stunned. Manila was in the Philippines. This man had to be lying. There was no way that he could have traveled across the Pacific Ocean, almost 9,000 miles, to reach them there, all while unconscious. They seized him immediately and brought him before the local officials of the Spanish Inquisition. And I bet you weren't expecting that little turn of events, were you? Because no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. And as you'd expect, our friend Gil Perez was interrogated, but he held fast to his story. The more they questioned him, the more he revealed about his duties back home in Manila. He even told them that the day before his miraculous appearance in Mexico City, the governor of the Philippines himself, Gomez Perez Das Mareñas, had been killed by pirates at sea. They were merely watching his palace until a new governor could be appointed. Of course, this story didn't buy him any credibility with the Viceroy of Mexico City. They had heard no such story of the slain Philippine governor. He was held in custody, presumed to be a deserter or even a spy. But then, something miraculous happened. In early 1594, several months after the man's unexpected appearance, a galleon arrived in Mexico from the Philippines. The men on board told the viceroy that the governor had been killed back in October, the very same day that Gil Perez said he had. Even more fortunate for Perez, one of the sailors said that he recognized the guard, having seen him by the governor's palace on October 23rd. As a result, the Spanish Inquisition had no choice but to release Perez, who returned home to resume his position under a new governor. We know little else about his life after this, but his story has a life of its own. The earliest version of this legend comes from 1698, in a historical account of the Spanish conquest of the Philippines. Although the writer does not name the guard, his version says that some form of witchcraft teleported the man. But as the story has gotten told and retold over time, it was opened up to more possible interpretations. And the name of the guard himself, Gil Perez, comes from a 1908 Harper's Magazine version of the story. In the century plus sense, folklorists, spiritualists and hobbyists have all put forward their own theories for the transported Spaniard. Everyone agrees though that Perez did not have control over this ability himself. If he had been a witch or a sorcerer who transported himself, he probably wouldn't have done it while dressed conspicuously in his work uniform. Never mind the fact that if he did have control over the ability, then he could have teleported himself out of prison once he was caught in Mexico City. A recent theory is that he fell through a rip in space-time. Or maybe he was even abducted by a UFO, as many UFO abductees claimed to have lost large patches of time and then wound up in wildly different places than where they began from. Both of these theories rely on wild speculation rather than any facts about the story. But by this point, most assume that the story of Gil Perez, however intriguing it might be, is just an urban legend rather than a fact. But one thing is for sure, whoever this unlucky man was, if he existed at all, he probably never fell asleep on the job ever again. Although they were brothers, Adahualpa and Huascar felt no love for one another. Compassion wasn't exactly encouraged within the Incan Empire, a brutal warrior-led society that spanned half of the west coast of South America. Adahualpa and Huascar were princes, which made their father the king. But the thing about the Inca line of succession was that there wasn't one. A king could pick whoever he wanted to follow him after his rule. And even stranger, Inca nobles were expected to marry their sisters to keep the bloodline pure, but at the same time were allowed to have concubines with whom they could sire many children. And so the king had over 200 children with as many as 50 wives. Huascar was born of a sister wife, but Adahualpa's mother was likely a woman outside of the family. And this alone was enough to create animosity between the two men. And to make matters worse, the king chose one of his other brothers as his successor. As a consolation prize, he put Huascar in charge of Cusco, the Inca capital, and he put Adahualpa in charge of the army. This worked to keep the peace for a time. Huascar became beloved by the people of Cusco and learned administration in the process, while Adahualpa earned the love of the Inca generals and learned how to conduct a war. However, tragedy struck in 1527 when a strange plague spread across the empire. The disease killed both a king and his chosen successor, and this was the worst possible outcome, because now there was no clear indication of who should inherit the throne. So it wasn't a surprise when Huascar sent the troops under his command at Cusco north to attack Adahualpa where he was stationed in the region of Quito. But these troops were no match for Adahualpa and his generals. They routed the opposing army with ease, and then Adahualpa sent his general south to conquer Cusco. As they went, they massacred much of the population that was loyal to Huascar. When they arrived at Cusco, they stormed the city and took Huascar prisoner. Adahualpa was very pleased with himself. He had proven once and for all that he was the strongest brother, but the deranged military king was about to find himself on the receiving end of some cosmic justice. That mysterious plague that had killed his father was smallpox, and it was spread by the Spanish conquistadors making their way across South America. When they arrived in the Inca Empire, they wasted no time in taking Adahualpa prisoner. This was easy to do. They simply surrounded Adahualpa's army encampment and sent emissaries to speak with him under the banner of peace. When Adahualpa refused to accept the authority of the Spanish crown and the Catholic Church, they ambushed his camp and killed his men. Adahualpa then tried to bribe the Spanish while he was in captivity. He sent his generals to collect all the silver and gold they could from the empire to trade for his release. He also gave one last horrible order. He commanded that his generals murder Huascar, who is still being held prisoner in Cusco. And they carried out his order with glee. Huascar and every one of his wives and descendants were slaughtered. The streets of Cusco were filled with the screams of the victims. It was cruel, but Adoalpa didn't want to leave any chance for the Spanish to find and free his brother. He wanted to make sure that he was the only Inca king that they could negotiate with. And meanwhile, his generals were doing everything they could to round up enough gold and silver for his ransom. They confiscated and melted down every piece available in the empire. But all of this mass mobilization made the Spanish nervous. They saw how many generals were loyal to Adoalpa and how big their armies were. If they were capable of collecting all the gold and silver in the empire, what else were they capable of? Speaking with some of the native peoples, they learned of Adoalpa's conquests and how he had massacred all who opposed him. They thought that it was only a matter of time before the Inca armies would march to free their king. Not even giving them the chance, the Spanish abruptly executed Adoalpa in 1533. His remaining generals immediately rebelled, trying to salvage the empire and keep it out of Spanish hands. But they were fragmented without a leader. The Spanish marched on Cusco and took the gold and silver for themselves. They easily defeated any resistance that was left within the empire. It was a curious case of a quarrel between two brothers, leading to neither of them getting what they wanted. Perhaps the empire was doomed regardless, but also perhaps if the two brothers could have learned to rule together, they might have saved an entire kingdom. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, Aaron Mahnke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim & Mild team and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people who make it over at grimandmild.com/curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad-free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories, but without the interruption, for a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up over at patreon.com/grimandmild. And until next time, stay curious.