The Conquest Begins
The Smallpox Epidemic
Throughout human history, disease has often influenced the outcome of history more than the battles themselves. By the early Sixteenth Century, European influence had already taken its toll on the natives. As soon as the Europeans first landed in the 1490s, disease began to spread from one native civilization to the next. The natives had no resistance to smallpox, which reached the Inca empire just a few years before Pizarro arrived to conquer them. According to National Geographic, nearly 50% of the Inca population died during the first epidemic of smallpox, not from the battles of the conquest. It was like the Black Plague in Europe, and the Inca were still struggling to survive when something else happened.
The Inca Civil War
1528, the Inca Ruler Huyana Capac died of smallpox, and the empire was divided between his sons, Atahualpa and Huascar. But they The tension between the two brothers got stronger until civil war broke out in 1529, greatly weakening the empire.
Finally, during the spring of 1532, Atahualpa defeated and captured his brother. But one more danger would come to the Inca that no one was prepared for: the Spanish.
Finally, during the spring of 1532, Atahualpa defeated and captured his brother. But one more danger would come to the Inca that no one was prepared for: the Spanish.
The Battle of Cajamarca
Soon after, Atahualpa was celebrating his victory near the town of Cajamarca. Francisco Pizarro and his forces were traveling nearby and asked to meet with the Inca ruler. One of the reasons Pizarro and his men had come so far on their journey was because although the Inca new of their traveling, they didn't believe their small numbers would be much of a threat. Most of the Spanish soldiers hid and watched the meeting unnoticed. Here is how Kenneth McIntosh, Jose I. Limon and Autumn Libal describe the event in their book, titled "Conquistadors":
"On November 14, 1532, Pizarro's men had just spent a week hiking over the Andes Mountains. They were exhausted from the high altitude, but Francisco Pizarro had pushed hard to reach the town of Cajamarca. He had heard Inca Atahuallpa was camped there with some of his army.
The Inca emperor met the Spaniards briefly outside of the town and told them to enter the city and wait for him there. Pizarro did so--and took advantage of the wait by hiding men with guns around the meeting place.
When Inca Atahuallpa arrived, Pizarro, through an interpreter, informed him that the Spanish served a great king who desired the Inca's friendship. Atahuallpa replied that he had no need for friendship with this faraway king, because he was a great ruler in his own empire. Then, Pizarro's priest, Friar Vicente, told the Inca he must renounce his idols and believe in God.
The Inca replied he was well satisfied with his own spiritual beliefs, and asked what reasons the Spanish priest had for considering Christian beliefs superior to those of the Incas. Friar Vicente replied that the Word of God (the Bible) spoke to him. Atahuallpa replied, "Give me the book so it can speak to me." He was handed a Bible. Inca Atahuallpa put the Bible up to his ear, listened carefully, then laughingly asked, "Why doesn't the book say anything to me? He threw it on the ground.
"Blasphemy!" cried Friar Vicente. "Kill them!"
The hidden musketeers fired. Smoke and fire erupted from the walls, thunderous noises echoed across the plaza, and bullets tore through skin, limbs, and hearts of people who had never heard of firearms. The Indians were too astonished to resist. The Spaniards pulled out their swords and began to butcher them. An Inca later recalled, "[The Indians] could not get out, nor did they have any weapons--and the Spanish killed them all just as one would slaughter llamas, for nobody could defend himself."
Inca Atahuallpa was captured. Native women captured in the ambush were raped. Pizarro demanded gold to ransom the emperor. The gold was delivered--seven tons of it--but the Spanish had no intention of setting their hostage free. They attempted to use Inca Atahuallpa as Cortez had used Moctezuma--issuing orders to the Indians from their captive leader. The Peruvian Natives did not fall for this trick. Since their hostage was no longer useful, the Spaniards eventually strangled Inca Atahuallpa."
"On November 14, 1532, Pizarro's men had just spent a week hiking over the Andes Mountains. They were exhausted from the high altitude, but Francisco Pizarro had pushed hard to reach the town of Cajamarca. He had heard Inca Atahuallpa was camped there with some of his army.
The Inca emperor met the Spaniards briefly outside of the town and told them to enter the city and wait for him there. Pizarro did so--and took advantage of the wait by hiding men with guns around the meeting place.
When Inca Atahuallpa arrived, Pizarro, through an interpreter, informed him that the Spanish served a great king who desired the Inca's friendship. Atahuallpa replied that he had no need for friendship with this faraway king, because he was a great ruler in his own empire. Then, Pizarro's priest, Friar Vicente, told the Inca he must renounce his idols and believe in God.
The Inca replied he was well satisfied with his own spiritual beliefs, and asked what reasons the Spanish priest had for considering Christian beliefs superior to those of the Incas. Friar Vicente replied that the Word of God (the Bible) spoke to him. Atahuallpa replied, "Give me the book so it can speak to me." He was handed a Bible. Inca Atahuallpa put the Bible up to his ear, listened carefully, then laughingly asked, "Why doesn't the book say anything to me? He threw it on the ground.
"Blasphemy!" cried Friar Vicente. "Kill them!"
The hidden musketeers fired. Smoke and fire erupted from the walls, thunderous noises echoed across the plaza, and bullets tore through skin, limbs, and hearts of people who had never heard of firearms. The Indians were too astonished to resist. The Spaniards pulled out their swords and began to butcher them. An Inca later recalled, "[The Indians] could not get out, nor did they have any weapons--and the Spanish killed them all just as one would slaughter llamas, for nobody could defend himself."
Inca Atahuallpa was captured. Native women captured in the ambush were raped. Pizarro demanded gold to ransom the emperor. The gold was delivered--seven tons of it--but the Spanish had no intention of setting their hostage free. They attempted to use Inca Atahuallpa as Cortez had used Moctezuma--issuing orders to the Indians from their captive leader. The Peruvian Natives did not fall for this trick. Since their hostage was no longer useful, the Spaniards eventually strangled Inca Atahuallpa."
Forgotten Allies
It seems a bit strange for only 168 Spanish to defeat thousands of Inca in this battle, but bear in mind that the Inca were unarmed at the time and weren't expecting an attack. Most of them had never seen a gun before. According to a Nova documentary titled "The Great Inca Rebellion", the Spanish had help . . . from other natives, many of whom were unhappy that they had been, themselves, conquered by the Inca earlier, and wanted Spanish help to achieve revenge. They may have thought Inca rule was unfair and would do anything to get their independence back. In addition, the Inca civil war had just ended months ago, and many people on the losing side were more than willing to help Pizarro overthrow their enemy, Atahualpa.
Historical Context
The same year Francisco Pizarro was trying to conquer the Inca, this world map was published in Europe. Just 40 years after Columbus's first voyage, many Europeans had already mapped out much of the Americas. This shows that explorers had seen and affected South America immensely, and their impact on the South Americans living there was enormous.
The Death of Atahualpa
When Atahualpa was captured by the Spanish, he was willing to do almost anything to win back his freedom. He ordered the Inca to fill a room full of gold along with two rooms of silver in exchange for his release. Atahualpa's brother, Huascar, had still been his prisoner, and he ordered the Inca to have him killed around the same time. Instead of filling his part of the bargain, Pizarro used this fact to justify strangling Atahualpa in 1533, leading the Spanish one step closer to conquering the Inca.
This artifact is believed to have escaped the fate of being melted down and was originally used for religious ceremonies.
This artifact is believed to have escaped the fate of being melted down and was originally used for religious ceremonies.
Image Sources: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia; National Geographic; Cartographic Images