Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro
source
Name	Francisco Pizarro
Caption	Portrait by Amable-Paul Coutan
Birth date	c. 1478
Birth place	Trujillo, Crown of Castile
Death date	26 June 1541 (aged 62–63)
Death place	Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	Conquistador, Governor
Known for	Conquest of the Inca Empire

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador whose expeditions led to the downfall of the Inca Empire and the establishment of Spanish rule in western South America. Born into poverty in Extremadura, he rose to prominence through ruthless ambition and military opportunism in the New World. His capture of the Sapa Inca Atahualpa at Cajamarca in 1532 was a pivotal event in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Pizarro founded the city of Lima, which became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, but his governorship was marked by internal conflicts that ultimately led to his assassination.

Early life and background

Born around 1478 in Trujillo, a town in the Crown of Castile region of Extremadura, he was the illegitimate son of Gonzalo Pizarro Rodríguez de Aguilar, an infantry colonel. His early life was spent in poverty, herding pigs, and he received no formal education, remaining illiterate. Drawn by tales of wealth from the New World, he sailed to the Americas in 1502, initially landing on the island of Hispaniola. He participated in early expeditions, including the voyage of Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513 that crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the Pacific Ocean. These experiences in Central America, particularly during the founding of Panama City, honed his skills and fueled his desire for greater conquests and riches.

Conquest of Peru

Inspired by the success of Hernán Cortés in Mexico, Pizarro formed a partnership with Diego de Almagro and a priest, Hernando de Luque, to explore the rumored wealthy empires to the south. After two preliminary and difficult expeditions along the coast of modern-day Colombia and Ecuador, he secured a capitulación from King Charles I authorizing the conquest of Peru. In 1532, with a force of about 168 men, he marched into the Andes and encountered the army of Atahualpa at Cajamarca. Exploiting the element of surprise during a supposed meeting, Pizarro's forces executed the Battle of Cajamarca, capturing Atahualpa and slaughtering thousands of his unarmed retainers. Despite receiving an enormous ransom in gold and silver, Pizarro had Atahualpa executed in 1533. He then marched on the Inca capital of Cuzco, capturing it and installing a puppet ruler, Manco Inca Yupanqui. The pivotal Battle of Las Salinas in 1538 against forces loyal to his former partner, Almagro, consolidated his control over the former Inca territories.

Governorship and administration

Following the conquest, Pizarro was appointed Governor of New Castile, a vast territory encompassing much of the former Inca realm. To secure a Spanish port on the Pacific, he founded the "City of the Kings," later known as Lima, on January 18, 1535, which became the administrative and commercial heart of Spanish South America. His administration focused on distributing encomienda grants to his followers, which exploited indigenous labor, and on initiating the construction of key cities like Trujillo. However, his rule was plagued by intense rivalries among the conquistadors, most notably with Diego de Almagro, whom he had executed after the Battle of Las Salinas. This act created a deep factional divide between the "Pizarristas" and "Almagristas." Furthermore, his harsh policies contributed to the outbreak of the Great Inca Rebellion led by Manco Inca, which besieged both Cuzco and Lima.

Death and legacy

The factional strife culminated in his assassination on June 26, 1541, in his palace in Lima. A group of supporters of the slain Diego de Almagro, led by Almagro's son, Diego de Almagro II ("el Mozo"), stormed his residence and killed him. His death prompted a period of civil war among the Spanish in Peru until the arrival of the first Viceroy, Blasco Núñez Vela. Pizarro's legacy is one of profound and brutal transformation; his actions directly caused the collapse of the Inca Empire and initiated centuries of Spanish colonial rule, fundamentally altering the demographics, culture, and history of the Andes. His conquest flooded Europe with precious metals, impacting the European economy, and his name is commemorated in places like the Pizarro River and numerous statues, though he remains a deeply controversial figure symbolizing the devastation of indigenous civilizations.

Category:Spanish conquistadors Category:History of Peru Category:People from Trujillo, Spain