Francisco Pizarro, Spanish Conqueror of the Inca

Francisco Pizarro (ca. 1475–June 26, 1541) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. With a small force of Spaniards, he was able to capture Atahualpa, emperor of the mighty Inca Empire, in 1532. Eventually, he led his men to victory over the Inca, collecting mind-boggling quantities of gold and silver along the way. Fast Facts: Francisco Pizarro Known For: Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca EmpireBorn: ca. 1471–1478 in Trujillo, Extremadura, SpainParents: Gonzalo Pizarro Rodrà ­guez de Aguilar and Francisca Gonzalez, a maid in the Pizarro householdDied: June 26, 1541 in Lima, PeruSpouse(s): Inà ©s Huaylas Yupanqui (Quispe Sisa).Children: Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui, Gonzalo Pizarro Yupanqui Early Life Francisco Pizarro was born between 1471 and 1478 as one of several illegitimate children of Gonzalo Pizarro Rodrà ­guez de Aguilar, a nobleman in Extremadura province, Spain. Gonzalo had fought with distinction in wars in Italy; Franciscos mother was Francisca Gonzalez, a maid in the Pizarro household. As a young man, Francisco lived with his mother and siblings and tended animals in the fields. As a bastard, Pizarro could expect little in the way of inheritance and decided to become a soldier. It is likely that he followed in his fathers footsteps to the battlefields of Italy for a time before hearing of the riches of the Americas. He first went to the New World in 1502 as part of a colonization expedition led by Nicolà ¡s de Ovando. San Sebastià ¡n de Uraba and the Darià ©n In 1508, Pizarro joined the Alonso de Hojeda expedition to the mainland. They fought the natives and created a settlement called San Sebastià ¡n de Urabà ¡. Beset by angry natives and low on supplies, Hojeda set out for Santo Domingo in early 1510 for reinforcements and supplies. When Hojeda did not return after 50 days, Pizarro set out with the surviving settlers to return to Santo Domingo. Along the way, they joined an expedition to settle the Darià ©n region: Pizarro served as second in command to Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa. First South American Expeditions In Panama, Pizarro established a partnership with fellow conquistador Diego de Almagro. News of Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s audacious (and lucrative) conquest of the Aztec Empire fueled the burning desire for gold among all of the Spanish in the New World, including Pizarro and Almagro. They made two expeditions from 1524 to 1526 along the western coast of South America: harsh conditions and native attacks drove them back both times. On the second trip, they visited the mainland and the Inca city of Tumbes, where they saw llamas and local chieftains with silver and gold. These men told of a great ruler in the mountains, and Pizarro became more convinced than ever that there was another rich Empire like the Aztecs to be looted. Third Expedition Pizarro personally went to Spain to make his case to the king that he should be allowed a third chance. King Charles, impressed with this eloquent veteran, agreed and awarded Pizarro the governorship of lands he acquired. Pizarro brought his four brothers back with him to Panama: Gonzalo, Hernando, Juan Pizarro, and Francisco Martà ­n de Alcà ¡ntara. In 1530, Pizarro and Almagro returned to the western shores of South America. On his third expedition, Pizarro had about 160 men and 37 horses. They landed on what is now the coast of Ecuador near Guayaquil. By 1532 they made it back to Tumbes: it was in ruins, having been destroyed in the Inca Civil War. The Inca Civil War While Pizarro was in Spain, Huayna Capac, Emperor of the Inca, had died, possibly of smallpox. Two of Huayna Capacs sons began fighting over the Empire: Huà ¡scar, the elder of the two, controlled the capital of Cuzco. Atahualpa, the younger brother, controlled the northern city of Quito, but more importantly had the support of three major Inca Generals: Quisquis, Rumià ±ahui, and Chalcuchima. A bloody civil war raged across the Empire as Huà ¡scar and Atahualpas supporters fought. Sometime in mid-1532, General Quisquis routed Huà ¡scars forces outside of Cuzco and took Huà ¡scar prisoner. The war was over, but the Inca Empire was in ruins just as a far greater threat approached: Pizarro and his soldiers. Capture of Atahualpa In November 1532, Pizarro and his men headed inland, where another extremely lucky break was awaiting them. The nearest Inca city of any size to the conquistadors was Cajamarca, and Emperor Atahualpa happened to be there. Atahualpa was savoring his victory over Huà ¡scar: his brother was being brought to Cajamarca in chains. The Spanish arrived in Cajamarca unopposed: Atahualpa did not consider them a threat. On November 16, 1532, Atahualpa agreed to meet with the Spanish. The Spanish treacherously attacked the Inca, capturing Atahualpa and murdering thousands of his soldiers and followers. Pizarro and Atahualpa soon made a deal: Atahualpa would go free if he could pay a ransom. The Inca selected a large hut in Cajamarca and offered to fill it half full with golden objects, and then fill the room twice with silver objects. The Spanish quickly agreed. Soon the treasures of the Inca Empire began flooding into Cajamarca. The people were restless, but none of Atahualpas generals dared attack the intruders. Hearing rumors that the Inca generals were planning an attack, the Spanish executed Atahualpa on July 26, 1533. After Atahualpa Pizarro appointed a puppet Inca, Tupac Huallpa, and marched on Cuzco, the heart of the Empire. They fought four battles along the way, defeating the native warriors every time. Cuzco itself did not put up a fight: Atahualpa had recently been an enemy, so many of the people there viewed the Spanish as liberators. Tupac Huallpa sickened and died: he was replaced by Manco Inca, a half-brother to Atahualpa and Huà ¡scar. The city of Quito was conquered by Pizarro agent Sebastià ¡n de Benalcà ¡zar in 1534 and, apart from isolated areas of resistance, Peru belonged to the Pizarro brothers. Pizarros partnership with Diego de Almagro had been strained for some time. When Pizarro had gone to Spain in 1528 to secure royal charters for their expedition, he had acquired for himself the governorship of all lands conquered and a royal title: Almagro only got a title and the governorship of the small town of Tumbez. Almagro was furious and nearly refused to participate in their third joint expedition: only the promise of the governorship of as-yet undiscovered lands made him come around. Almagro never quite shook the suspicion (probably correct) that the Pizarro brothers were trying to cheat him out of his fair share of the loot. In 1535, after the Inca Empire was conquered, the crown ruled that the northern half belonged to Pizarro and the southern half to Almagro: however, vague wording allowed both conquistadors to argue that the rich city of Cuzco belonged to them. Factions loyal to both men nearly came to blows: Pizarro and Almagro met and decided that Almagro would lead an expedition to the south (into present-day Chile). It was hoped that he would find great wealth there and drop his claim to Peru. Inca Revolts Between 1535 and 1537 the Pizarro brothers had their hands full. Manco Inca, the puppet ruler, escaped and went into open rebellion, raising a massive army and laying siege to Cuzco. Francisco Pizarro was in the newly founded city of Lima most of the time, trying to send reinforcements to his brothers and fellow conquistadors in Cuzco and organizing shipments of wealth to Spain (he was always conscientious about setting aside the royal fifth, a 20% tax collected by the crown on all treasure collected). In Lima, Pizarro had to fend off a ferocious attack led by Inca General Quizo Yupanqui in August of 1536. The First Almagrist Civil War Cuzco, under siege by Manco Inca in early 1537, was rescued by the return of Diego de Almagro from Peru with what was left of his expedition. He lifted the siege and drove off Manco, only to take the city for himself, capturing Gonzalo and Hernando Pizarro in the process. In Chile, the Almagro expedition had found only harsh conditions and ferocious natives: he had come back to claim his share of Peru. Almagro had the support of many Spaniards, primarily those who had come to Peru too late to share in the spoils: they hoped that if the Pizarros were overthrown that Almagro would reward them with lands and gold. Gonzalo Pizarro escaped, and Hernando was released by Almagro as part of the peace negotiations. With his brothers behind him, Francisco decided to do away with his old partner once and for all. He sent Hernando into the highlands with an army of conquistadors, and they met Almagro and his supporters on April 26, 1538, at the Battle of Salinas. Hernando was victorious, while Diego de Almagro was captured, tried, and executed on July 8, 1538. Almagros execution was shocking to the Spaniards in Peru, as he had been raised to nobleman status by the king some years before. Death For the next three years, Francisco mainly remained in Lima, administrating his empire. Although Diego de Almagro had been defeated, there was still much resentment among late-coming conquistadors against the Pizarro brothers and the original conquistadors, who had left slim pickings after the fall of the Inca Empire. These men rallied around Diego de Almagro the younger, son of Diego de Almagro and a woman from Panama. On June 26, 1541, supporters of the younger Diego de Almagro, led by Juan de Herrada, entered Francisco Pizarros home in Lima and assassinated him and his half-brother Francisco Martà ­n de Alcà ¡ntara. The old conquistador put up a good fight, taking down one of his attackers with him. With Pizarro dead, the Almagrists seized Lima and held it for almost a year before an alliance of Pizarrists (led by Gonzalo Pizarro) and royalists put it down. The Almagrists were defeated at the Battle of Chupas on September 16, 1542: Diego de Almagro the younger was captured and executed shortly after that. Legacy The cruelty and violence of the conquest of Peru is undeniable—it was essentially outright theft, mayhem, murder, and rape on a massive scale—but it is hard not to respect the sheer nerve of Francisco Pizarro. With only 160 men and a handful of horses, he brought down one of the largest civilizations in the world. His brazen capture of Atahualpa and decision to back the Cuzco faction in the simmering Inca civil war gave the Spaniards enough time to gain a foothold in Peru that they would never lose. By the time Manco Inca realized that the Spanish would not settle for anything less than the complete usurpation of his empire, it was too late. As far as the conquistadors go, Francisco Pizarro was not the worst of the lot (which isnt necessarily saying much). Other conquistadors, such as Pedro de Alvarado and his brother Gonzalo Pizarro, were much crueler in their dealings with the native population. Francisco could be cruel and violent, but in general, his acts of violence served some purpose, and he tended to think his actions through much more than others did. He realized that wantonly murdering the native population was not a sound plan in the long run, so he did not practice it. Francisco Pizarro married Inà ©s Huaylas Yupanqui, the daughter of the Inca emperor Huayna Capa, and she had two children: Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui (1534–1598) and Gonzalo Pizarro Yupanqui (1535–1546). Pizarro, like Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s in Mexico, is honored sort of halfheartedly in Peru. There is a statue of him in Lima and some streets and businesses are named after him, but most Peruvians are ambivalent about him at best. They all know who he was and what he did, but most present-day Peruvians do not find him much worthy of admiration. Sources Burkholder, Mark and Lyman L. Johnson. Colonial Latin America. Fourth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca. London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970).Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962Patterson, Thomas C. The Inca Empire: The Formation and Disintegration of a Pre-Capitalist State. New York: Berg Publishers, 1991.Varon Gabai, Rafael. Francisco Pizarro and His Brothers: The Illusion of Power in Sixteenth-Century Peru. trans. Flores Espinosa, Javier. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.