The death of the Count of Nieva (Assassination of the Marquis of Aguas Claras)

Teófilo Castillo was inspired by the work of Ricardo Palma, including Un pronóstico cumplido [“A prediction fulfilled”]. Diego López de Zúñiga, Count of Nieva viceroy of Peru, had a reputation for being a libertine, arising from the scandalous rumor that he was involved in an affair with a married woman. One night, as he climbed down from his lover’s bedchamber, his accusers lay in wait for him in the street. “When the young gentleman was just a few feet above the ground, the balcony ladder gave way, and at the same time five masked figures began to rain fierce blows upon the fallen figure with sandbags, shouting “stealer of honor!”.
In addition to being a painter, Teófilo Castillo was also a photographer and an art critic. He contributed to magazines, including Variedades, Ilustración Peruana and Actualidades, for which he both wrote and created illustrations, adapted to the publisher’s layout.