Hendrik van Gorp (1981) in his pioneer work on the European translations of the Spanish picaresque canon concludes that pilot translations have a key role in the modulation of the later translations and, consequently, in the construction of the national picaresque literatures. La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades, the first picaresque novel, was forbidden by the Spanish inquisition a few years after its first edition (?), while an expurgated version by Juan López de Velasco could be printed and read. Portuguese Indexes were inspired by the Spanish ones. The original Lazarillo was banned in 1581, while the censored one was allowed in 1624. This essay focuses on the possible influence of Valesco’s 1599 version, Lazarillo Castigao, on the first Portuguese translation of Lazarillo de Tormes and, based on van Gorp’s hypothesis, explore the possibility that the first translation influenced a later one. Finally, it reflects on the consequences of the interference in the understanding of the Portuguese readership of the picaresque genre.