Francisco Pizarro (1475–1541) was born into poverty in Spain. He received no education and found his way to the New World by serving on a ship. There he found work as a soldier on missions to explore central America. He gained a reputation for toughness and ruthless behaviour. He heard rumours of the great wealth of the Incas and was granted a commission to conquer them by King Charles V of Spain in 1528. He gathered a small army of 180 men and 27 horses and invaded the Incan empire in 1532.
Pizarro met the Incan king, Atahualpa, at the town of Cajamarca. To give him an excuse to attack the Incas, Pizarro had a priest approach Atahualpa with a bible. The king threw it aside. Claiming that this was an insult to the Christian faith, Pizarro ordered his men to attack. Although vastly outnumbered by the Incan warriors, the Spanish had superior weapons. They won and captured Atahualpa.
The Incas offered to fi ll a room with gold and silver in return for their king. Pizarro accepted the treasure, but had the king executed anyway. The death of Atahualpa threw the empire into chaos, as he had left no heir. Pizarro defeated the remaining Incan armies at Cusco. He declared their empire the Spanish province of New Castile and established a new capital city at Lima. Huge deposits of gold and silver were later found in the Andes, making Spain the wealthiest country in Europe.
A painting of Pizarro encountering the Incas CHECKPOINT!
1. Why did Pizarro want to attack the Incas? 2. Describe what happened at Cajamarca. 3. What did the Incas offer to do for the return of their king? 4. Why was Pizarro able to defeat the Incas so easily?
. I understand how the Spanish conquered the Incas. TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
Go to page 57 of your Sources and Skills Book to read a letter about the aftermath of the conquests.
