| Juan Solano, O.P. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Cuzco October 24, 1546–1562 |
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Solano sealing the marriage of Sayri Túpac (from the Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno) |
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| Predecessor | Vicente Valverde Alvarez, O.P. |
| Successor | Francisco Ramírez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca. 1504 Archidona, Spain |
| Died | February 19, 1580 Rome, Italy |
Juan Solano, O.P. (ca. 1504–1580) was a Spanish Dominican missionary and the second Roman Catholic bishop of Cuzco, Peru.
Juan Solano was born in about 1504 in Archidona,[1] a town in the province of Málaga, Spain.[2] He studied at the Colegio de San Esteban of the University of Salamanca. It was there that he decided to enter the Dominican Order. He began his novitiate in the last months of 1524, and made his final profession on December 24, 1525. Solano then served in various positions before becoming prior of the convent of Santo Domingo in Peñafiel.
In September 1543, Solano was nominated as bishop of Cuzco by Emperor Charles V.[1] Without waiting for papal confirmation and still not consecrated to the episcopacy, Solano took the opportunity to embark to Peru with the viceroy Blasco Núñez Vela. They left Sanlúcar de Barrameda on November 3, 1543 and arrived at Nombre de Dios in Panama on January 10 of the following year. On January 24, 1544, Solano set sail from Panama, landing at Tumbes on March 4 and continuing the journey by land to Lima.
Due to the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro, Solano was unable to enter Cuzco and take possession of his see. Instead, he joined the royal army.[1] He was first able to enter Cuzco on November 3, 1545, and was finally consecrated bishop of Cuzco on October 24, 1546 by his fellow Dominican, the archbishop Jerónimo de Loayza.[2] He was, however, forced out of the city after the Battle of Huarina in 1547. Because of his loyalty to the king, Solano roused the ire of the rebel Francisco de Carvajal, who commented that he, "having sat in his church and prayed for peace among Christians, walked around the camp like a field marshal".[3] After the defeat at Huarina, Solano joined the forces of Pedro de la Gasca. He was present at the Battle of Jaquijahuana, which decisively ended the uprising in favor of the royalist Viceroyalty of Peru.[1]
As bishop, Solano was an eager defender of the rights of the native Peruvians. He obtained money from the Spanish conquistadores for the purpose of relieving the suffering of the native population, with which he built the Hospital de San Lázaro. This hospital, finished in 1552, was the first of its kind in Peru.[1] His episcopacy also saw the laying of the foundation of the cathedral of Cuzco.
Solano returned to Spain in October 1560, intending to request the division of his diocese, which he considered too large for a single bishop.[1] Having failed in Spain, he traveled to Rome, hoping to interest Pope Pius IV in his cause. Once again he failed and resigned as bishop in 1562.[1][2] He retired to the convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and in his later days was involved in the founding of the College of St. Thomas, which survives today as the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He died in Rome on February 19, 1580.[2]