Francisco Pizarro

🗡️ Francisco Pizarro: Conqueror of the Inca Empire and His Controversial Legacy

Francisco Pizarro (c. 1474 – 1541) was a Spanish sailor, soldier, and explorer. He is known in history as the man who brutally destroyed the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu), the most magnificent civilization in the Americas, and laid the foundations of present-day Peru. Although Pizarro’s life began with a humble and illegitimate birth and brought great wealth and geographical expansion to the Spanish Empire, his cruelty, intrigue, and bloody power struggles with his own comrades left a highly controversial and complex legacy.

📜 Early Life and Journey to the New World

Francisco Pizarro was born in Extremadura, Spain, the illegitimate child of a noble but impoverished family. Illiterate (some sources say he worked as a shepherd), Pizarro found no opportunity to advance in Europe, and this forced him to seek refuge in the New World.

• New World Career: Pizarro arrived on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in 1502. In his early career, he worked with prominent conquistadors such as Diego de Nicuesa and Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
• At Balboa’s Side: In 1513, he joined Balboa’s European expedition that first sighted the Pacific Ocean. These experiences gave Pizarro not only military prowess but also experience in the New World’s potential for wealth and strategies for dealing with the indigenous population.

🔍 The Road to Peru: Three Expeditions

After gaining fame in the early settlements in Central America, Pizarro began to hear about a kingdom to the south (Peru) rumored to possess legendary riches. Beginning in 1524, he focused on this region to find his own fortune and destiny.

1. First Expedition (1524–1525): Pizarro launched his first expedition with his partners Diego de Almagro (financier) and Hernando de Luque (cleric). This expedition failed due to hardship, disease, and indigenous resistance.
2. Second Expedition (1526–1528): Pizarro did not give up. On his second expedition, he explored part of the Peruvian coast and collected tangible evidence of the Inca Empire’s wealth (gold, llamas, and native clothing). At a critical juncture, Pizarro decided to remain with his thirteen loyal men, despite the crew’s pleas to return (the “Famous Line of the Thirteen”).
3. Convention of Toledo (1529): Returning to Spain with his evidence, Pizarro received official permission (Capitulación de Toledo) from King Charles V to conquer the Inca Empire and was appointed Viceroy of Peru.

👑 The Inca Conquest and the Trap at Cajamarca (1532)

In 1532, Pizarro embarked on his third and final expedition with only about 160 men, horses, and a few cannons. This small force would bring a vast empire to its knees.

Advantages and the Civil War

Pizarro’s success was largely made possible by a combination of factors:

• Inca Civil War: Just before the Spanish arrived, the empire was weakened by a bloody civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa, a struggle for the throne. Pizarro anticipated Atahualpa’s victory and capitalized on this conflict.
• Diseases: Smallpox, introduced by the Spanish, caused tens of thousands of deaths because the indigenous population lacked immunity.
• Military Superiority: Steel swords, armor, horses, and primitive firearms provided a significant psychological and military advantage over the Incas’ stone and bronze weapons.

The Capture of Atahualpa

In November 1532, Pizarro found Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca. Pizarro set a trap and captured the Emperor. The Spanish attacked the unarmed Inca army and captured the Emperor.

• The Great Ransom: In exchange for his release, Atahualpa offered to fill his chambers once with gold and twice with silver. Pizarro accepted the ransom, but even after the ransom was paid, he refused to release the Emperor; he executed him in 1533.

🔥 Aftermath and Tragic Death (1541)

Central control of the Inca Empire was lost, but the struggle for the riches began among the Spanish.

• Foundations: Pizarro founded Lima, the capital of present-day Peru, in 1535.
• Civil War: The division of land and wealth in Peru led to a violent civil war between Pizarro and his former partner, Diego de Almagro. In 1538, Pizarro defeated and executed Almagro.
• Death: Seeking revenge for Almagro’s death, his son and his supporters assassinated and killed Francisco Pizarro in his palace in Lima in 1541.

📝 Legacy: Destruction and Establishment

Francisco Pizarro is remembered in history as both a founder and a destroyer.

• Destruction: It led to the rapid and brutal collapse of the Inca Empire, the widespread destruction of its cultural heritage, and the exploitation of the indigenous population.
• Foundation: Ö