One Of History’s Turning Points
The fall of the Inca civilization was one of the greatest catastrophes of human history. The conquest of the Incas by Europeans was accompanied by terrifying pandemics and a wave of violence that the Inca people could never have imagined. The downfall of the Incas is a huge subject; we recount its key moments to help put this enormous event in perspective.
An Empire At The Peak Of Its Power
By 1530 the Incas had conquered a vast stretch of land along the west coast of South America, including present-day Ecuador, Peru, and northern Chile. In this territory the Incas presided over many other smaller native groups. Inca culture was advanced in its use of textiles, ceramics, and stone architecture such as at Machu Picchu. Inca goldsmiths produced some of the finest gold jewelry in the world. But the Inca had internal political problems.
Pedro Szekely, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
An Empire Divided
Huayna Sapac, unquestioned king of the Incas, drew his last breath in 1527. Huayna’s two sons, Huáscar and Atahualpa immediately took up arms against each other over who would take the throne. This set off the Inca Civil War which would rage until 1532. Atahualpa at last emerged victorious. But an even more dangerous threat to the empire soon emerged.
A Conquistador Appears
Francisco Pizarro was an adventurer from the Spanish town of Trujillo. He explored the coast of Peru and Ecuador in the 1520s and realized the incredible wealth of the Inca. He received approval from the Spanish king to conquer the region for Spain. In 1532, Pizarro was ready to make a move against the new Inca ruler at Cajamarca.
A Premature Celebration
Even as Atahualpa and his men celebrated their crushing victory over Huáscar at the town of Cajamarca, they heard news that newcomers had entered the land. These were the Spaniards led by Francisco Pizarro, who were rapidly approaching. With thousands of warriors at his command, Atahualpa felt he had little to fear from Pizarro’s group of 180 Spanish explorers. He decided to make a show of force.
An Unexpected Move
Atahualpa and a large party of escorts approached the Spaniards and there was a brief discussion between the two parties. But Pizarro wasn’t interested in diplomacy. His men suddenly ambushed the Inca group, seized Atahualpa, and held him at ransom. The situation for the Inca had quickly gone from triumph to desperation. But Atahualpa made the Spanish an offer.
A Hoard Of Inca Gold
Recognizing the Spaniards’ insatiable desire for gold, Atahualpa offered Pizarro an enormous load of the yellow metal. The treasure trove was big enough to fill the cell in which Atahualpa was imprisoned. A considerable load of silver was turned over to the conquistadors as well. But the ruthless Pizarro wasn’t satisfied.
A Ruthless Conquest
With the Inca population demoralized by the ransom of their leader, Pizarro had both Atahualpa and his brother Huáscar executed. It was the escalation of one of the most brutal campaigns of conquest in history. Worse, many of the subject peoples that had lived under Inca rule now began to cooperate with the Spanish. But the struggle wasn’t over.
Years Of Struggle
While some Inca people accepted Spanish rule, others continued to resist the Spanish for several years after the initial catastrophe. The Inca did manage to reconquer their capital at Cusco in 1536, but the Spanish soon retook control. As for Pizarro, he was later cut down in a power struggle with a rival conquistador, Diego de Almagro, in 1541. The last Inca resistance fnally ended in 1572.
A Painful Legacy
In the decades following the conquest, the Spanish obliterated the Inca systems of agriculture and commerce, putting the local people to work in the mines extracting more gold and silver. Successive waves of epidemics reduced the once-thriving population of the region. The Spanish intermarried with the indigenous people over the centuries, producing the rich, complex cultures of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile that we see today.
Pizarro Today
The legacy of Pizarro is still fiercely debated in Peru, as seen by the recent installation of his statue in central Lima, after years of being kept tucked away in a park. While some maintain that the old conquistador is an important part of history to remember, many others would prefer not to be reminded of Pizarro, whose violent exploits had such a devastating impact on the Inca Empire and its peoples.
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