Francisco Pizarro : The Founder of Lima City, The Life of the Explorer Who Destroyed The Incas

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and conqueror who is credited with bringing down the Inca Empire in the 1530s, becoming rich from the gold and silver he took from the Inca Empire. He was born into poverty in approximately 1476 in Torreya, Spain. Francisco did not receive any formal education and grew up illiterate. In 1509, Francisco Pizarro set sail with Alonso de Ojeda, departing from Spain for the New World. Over the next several years, Francisco Pizarro would establish himself in the New World as Panama City's mayor and eventually conquering the Incan Empire, becoming very wealthy. In Cartagena in 1513, he joined Martin Fernandez de Ansisco's crew, and later that year, he joined Huesco Nunez de Balboa on the way to Pacific Ocean. Francisco Pizarro arrested Balboa under the orders of Pedrerías, a tyrant who awarded Pizarro for his loyalty, making him the mayor of Panama City. He served as Panama City's mayor from 1519 to 1523. After hearing stories about the rich territory in South America from Pascual de Andagoya, Francisco Pizarro set off with Hernando de Lugue and Diego de Almagro in 1524. The trip was short-lived and they returned to Panama. In 1526, he set off again and Francisco Pizarro reached the Colombian shore. After sending a few trips back to Panama for supplies, Francisco and his men continued to explore. Francisco Pizarro returned to Panama and was sent to Spain to request the king's permission to continue his expeditions in South America. The king granted Francisco Pizarro's request, and he set sail with Hernando Pizarro, his brother, and continued to explore South America. In 1532, Francisco Pizarro and his men overthrew Atahualpa, the Inca leader claiming Peru. Francisco became very rich after overthrowing Atahualpa. He walked away with 1,260 pounds of silver, 630 pounds of gold, and 15-carat gold throne, Atahualpa's throne, weighing 183 pounds. Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro three years after conquering Peru. He served as the governor of Peru for 10 years, from 1535 to 1545. In 1538, Francisco Pizarro had a fight with Diego Almagro, an expedition partner that he had known for many years. Francisco had Almagro killed. Francisco Pizarro, along with many of the conquistadors, was known to be very cruel. He once had a rebel leader's wife tied to a stake and shot at with arrows, later sending her body down a river for the rebel leader to find. In 1541, the son of Diego Almagro, accompanied by supporters of the murdered former expedition partner of Francisco Pizarro, attacked Pizarro and killed him in his home. People in Peru do not have a favorable opinion of Francisco Pizarro, considering that he murdered most of the native Peruvian ancestors. In 2005, a statue of Francisco Pizarro in Lima was moved from its original place in Lima's central square to a park outside of the city.