Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru

♪♪ Pizarro and the conquest of Peru. One of the most fascinating and adventuresome stories in the history of the Spanish exploration of the New World is certainly the account of Francisco Pizarro's conquest of Peru. Of humble origins, Pizarro went on to become the governor of the richest territory in South America. His story is unbelievable in many respects, but it is nonetheless a true one. Let us move back in time to 15th century Spain. Here, Pizarro's story begins. Born in Trujillo, Spain around 1471, Francisco Pizarro was reared as an ignorant swineherd. None of the people who lived in Trujillo imagined that he would one day accomplish something extraordinary or even that he would ever leave his native village. But the young Pizarro harbored secret dreams of adventure. He had no intention of living out his life as a laborer in his tiny village. Somehow he would get away. In that day and time, the easiest way for a penniless young man to make a name for himself was to seek a military career. This is exactly what Francisco Pizarro decided to do. First, he left his native village and spent some time traveling through Spain. During these travels, he heard people speak of Columbus' discoveries. He began to dream of making a voyage to the islands which Columbus had reached. Later, he became a soldier and in 1510 came to Haiti in the New World. He found that the military life suited him well and that the New World was full of risks and challenges which satisfied his need for adventure. However, Haiti was probably the best established Spanish colony in the West Indies. And Pizarro began to long for more excitement as well as a chance to make a fortune. He heard of an expedition which was being organized by a certain Balboa to explore the uncharted territories of Central America. Pizarro decided to join this group and leave Haiti. As a member of Balboa's expedition, Pizarro helped hack a path through the terrible jungles of Central America. The journey was extremely difficult, but Pizarro was inspired to go on by his hopes for adventure and gold. Slowly, the Spaniards made their way across the narrow ribbon of land separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On September 29, 1513, Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean, claiming all the lands washed by the South Seas for Spain. Balboa was the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean and his discovery was the first concrete proof of a fact that everyone already accepted. The land discovered by Columbus was not Asia. A whole ocean lay between this new continent and the East. After the discovery of the Pacific Ocean, it was decided that the western coast of Central America should be explored and the territory claimed for Spain. From 1514 to 1524, while Pizarro explored the Pacific coast of Central America, he constantly heard of an empire of vast wealth to the south. The simplest Indians whom Pizarro encountered in his explorations had neither wealth nor great cities, but they all agreed that a fabulous Indian kingdom lay further south in the mountainous territory of Peru. Pizarro decided to lead an expedition to discover this southern kingdom. Pizarro and Almagro, another soldier, formed a partnership with Luque, a friar, who would collect money for an expedition to the south. It was decided that the expedition would not be a large one because of the limited funds at the men's disposal, but the journey would be made and as soon as possible. After all of the necessary preparations had been made, Pizarro and Almagro set out, leading a small but experienced group of adventurers. For four years, Pizarro and Almagro worked their way south, suffering hunger, thirst, and wounds from the Indians, always waiting for help from Panama. But supplies and reinforcements were slow in coming and the morale of Pizarro's troops was running low. So far, no gold had been discovered. Pizarro's men began to grumble. The final blow came when the Spanish authorities decided to call a halt to Pizarro's explorations. When ordered back to Panama, Pizarro challenged his men. Beyond lies Peru with its riches. Over there, Panama with its poverty. Choose. Tired of hardships, his men voted to return to Panama. Pizarro's challenge did not inspire them to continue the search for a kingdom which seemed to be only a legend. Pizarro had no choice but to return to Panama with his men. But he had not given up his project. Later, Francisco went to Spain where Cortes, conqueror of Mexico, introduced him to King Charles V. Pizarro and Cortes had spent long hours discussing the methods Cortes had used in conquering the Aztec Indians of Mexico. Cortes saw in Pizarro the same qualities that had made him a ruthless and successful conqueror. He decided to help Pizarro in his project of taking over Peru. But the king's authorization was necessary for such an expedition. It was for this reason that Cortes presented Pizarro to Charles V. Soon Pizarro had convinced the king of the value of the project he wished to undertake. The king decided to sponsor Pizarro in his project. Preparations were begun immediately. Finally, in 1531, Pizarro set out from Panama with 280 men, including the explorer de Soto and 80 horses. De Soto, as you remember, later went on to make a number of important exploratory expeditions in the southeastern United States. But at this time he was not yet famous. Pizarro had cut the journey to Peru short by taking a sea route rather than a land route. He moved down the western coast of Central America until he reached the unknown western shores of the South American continent. Landing in Peru in 1532, Pizarro marched to meet the emperor of the Incas, simply called the Inca. The stories about the great Indian kingdom in South America turned out to be true. The Inca civilization had reached amazing heights, considering the isolation of the Indians from any foreign cultural influences. To understand the events which followed Pizarro's entrance into Peru, it would be necessary for us to consider a few details of Inca history. At that time, the Inca Huayna Capac had just died, dividing his empire among his sons, the north to Atahualpa, the south to Huascar. This was not the traditional practice in the Inca empire. There had always been only one emperor. The sons, however, agreed to abide by their father's decision as they stood at his deathbed. Thus the old Inca died content. But his sons fought for the whole empire and Atahualpa won, capturing Huascar near Cusco in a great battle. Thus the unity of the Inca people was restored, but only at the cost of many lives and a general weakening of the kingdom. The Incas were not ready to fight another war. Atahualpa did not know if the Spanish invaders had peaceful intentions or not, but he considered it prudent to meet and talk with the leader of these white-skinned strangers. So Pizarro marched to Cajamarca over perilous paths to meet Atahualpa, the Inca. The grandeur of the majestic Andes Mountains made a strong impression on the Spaniards. The dizzying heights of the cliffs and rock faces along which they had to travel made the going slow. They arrived at Cajamarca in November 1532 to find it deserted, the Inca being in camp a short distance from town. Pizarro and his men were impressed by the neat, sturdy buildings of the town, so different from the flimsy huts of the Indians of Central America and the West Indies. The Spaniards decided to rest in the city and wait for the emperor. Thereupon Pizarro sent de Soto to meet Atahualpa. De Soto made no impression when he tried to frighten the Inca with his horse. Cortes had terrified the Aztecs of Mexico with his horses, but the Inca remained indifferent to de Soto's spirited Arabian. Perhaps this can be explained by the unshakable dignity of the emperor. Or perhaps it was because the Incas, unlike the Aztecs, had domesticated a beast of burden somewhat similar to the horse, the llama. In any case, the emperor showed no fear. However, he did promise to come to Cajamarca to speak with the leader of the Spanish. And shortly after, Atahualpa came to visit Pizarro. Carried on a magnificent portable throne, he traveled without a regiment of guards. He did not know the European character and had no reason to suspect that Pizarro planned to take over his empire. But Pizarro, with his three brothers and Father Valverde, plotted to copy Cortes' method and capture the Inca. They were sure that if they held the emperor in captivity, they could make his subjects surrender without a fight. When the time for an audience with the emperor arrived, it was decided that Father Valverde should speak to him first. Father Valverde made a speech about Christianity, which was misinterpreted by a stupid Indian. It would have been difficult for the father to explain Christian beliefs to Atahualpa, even if they had spoken the same language. But with an unskilled interpreter, the whole project became hopeless, and Atahualpa could make no sense of what was being explained to him. The Inca declared that Christ died at the hands of man, but his god, the sun, died every day, but lived again. The father saw that Atahualpa had not understood, and he hardly knew where to begin clarifying what he was trying to teach. Besides, the Inca did not seem interested in learning and refused to accept Valverde's... At this point, Pizarro signaled for an attack on the helpless Incas. He justified this act by claiming that the emperor had insulted the Christian religion. His horsemen dashed out of their hiding places and fell upon the Indians. Pizarro's attack came as a complete surprise to the Incas. Ordered to take Atahualpa alive, the Spaniards cut down the unarmed Incas guarding him. The helpless Indians had no defense against the merciless Spanish swords. Vainly, they made the effort to protect their emperor, but they could not resist the superior Spanish forces. Not even one of the Spaniards was killed. Only Pizarro was wounded while making sure that the Inca was taken alive. The emperor saw that it was useless to struggle and allowed himself to be taken without a fight. Too late, he realized his mistake in not bringing a regiment of soldiers with him. He saw now that the Spaniards were not to be trusted. The terror-stricken Incas, bereft of their leader, fled in panic. They could not understand what was happening. Who was to lead them against these invincible strangers who had seized their emperor? As the Spaniards carried off the emperor, his subjects rushed about in confusion, crying out the terrible news. Word spread instantly from village to village. The emperor had been taken away by the white-skinned strangers. The Inca nation, without a leader, was at a loss to what they should do. Meanwhile, Atahualpa, a prisoner, promised to fill this room with gold and silver if he was given his freedom. Pizarro agreed. He could not really believe the Inca's promise would ever be fulfilled, but even a room half-filled with gold would add up to a hundred king's ransoms. Pizarro and his men sat back to wait for the treasure to arrive after the emperor had sent out his appeal to the whole Inca nation. And the gold poured in from all parts of the empire. Thousands of Indians, their backs laden with treasure, moved slowly toward Caramarca to deliver their ruler. Altogether, about $15 million worth of gold was divided among the conquerors, who promptly fell to gambling their shares away. Atahualpa had really succeeded in filling the room with gold. By 1533, his greed unsatisfied, Pizarro decided to march on the capital, Cusco, for more treasure. The supply of gold in Peru seemed inexhaustible to him. However, fearing the Inca might cause a revolt, Pizarro decided to kill him after a mock trial in which the charges were ridiculous. The emperor defended himself of dignity, but it was hopeless. Convicted, the Inca was strangled after becoming a Christian to avoid being burnt at the stake. Such was Spanish justice toward the great ruler. At this time, Almagro and his men, jealous because of the unequal sharing of the gold, marched south to Chile to search for a new empire. The result was that Pizarro's finances were cut in half. But this did not alter his intention to attack Cusco. On November 15, 1533, Pizarro arrived at Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. The city could not resist an attack from the Spanish. They marched through its gates with no interference. Here, the greedy Spaniards looted the capital for additional treasure. The total collection was now immense. It was time to send the gold back to Spain to indicate the fantastic success of the expedition. Hernando Pizarro, a brother, was sent to Spain with Charles V's share of the loot. Impressed by the wealth of Peru, the king ordered full-scale colonization of the territory. In 1535, Lima was founded to give the Spaniards a seaport near Cusco, and the famous University of Lima was built. The next year, a revolt broke out among the Incas, and they captured the fortress of Saxuaman in Cusco. The Spanish were taken completely by surprise. It took until the following spring to recapture the fortress. The Incas, although they lacked effective weapons, hung on doggedly to the fortress. Mexico and the West Indies sent help, and the Incas were finally crushed. Never again would they try to revolt. In 1537, Almagro and his men, returning empty-handed, were jeered at by Pizarro's wealthy soldiers. This treatment resulted in a permanent break between the two groups. Installed at Cusco, Almagro's group hotly disputed the leadership of the city with Hernando Pizarro. He refused to relinquish any authority, however. The factions broke into open conflict, featuring individual combat between Hernando and de Lerma, Almagro's greatest warrior. Hernando was victorious, and he cast the defiant Almagro into prison. Hernando believed that the conflict was now permanently settled. However, Almagro's friends plotted to free him, so on July 8, 1538, Hernando ordered his strangulation. He felt that this would be the only way to put an end to the dispute, but he had no legal authority to order an execution. Hernando returned to Spain the next year, where, convicted of Almagro's murder, he served a 30-year prison sentence. Hernando's famous brother Francisco was luckier. In 1540, Francisco Pizarro was made governor of Peru. Nearly 70 years old, he had reached the pinnacle of his fortunes. Almagro's friends, however, continued to plot against Francisco. Since he was the brother of Almagro's murderer, and since he had supported Hernando's authority, Almagro's friends felt that Francisco also should be punished. And on June 26, 1541, while Pizarro was dining in his palace, the plotters broke into the room. Surprised, Pizarro jumped up and faced his adversaries. Though Pizarro defended himself mightily, there was nothing the old warrior could do to save his life. He was run through the throat and fell, mumbling the name of Jesus as he died. Thus the man, who had made his fortune by killing and violence, came himself to a violent end at the age of 70. Despite his greed, cruelty, and treachery, Spain gained from Pizarro one of its greatest treasures, the wealth of the Inca Empire. Moreover, his pioneering expedition opened for the first time the road to the exploration and colonization of the South American continent. Spain and the whole world owe a great debt to this most successful soldier of fortune, Francisco Pizarro. © BF-WATCH TV 2021