Conquest of the Incas

1

2

4

3

During the 1520s, the Spanish moved throughout Central America. They took land and began building settlements. Native Americans were considered subjects of Spain but had no rights. As the Spanish moved farther south, they heard stories of a rich kingdom somewhere in the Andes Mountains. This was the Empire of the Inca.

Francisco Pizarro, another conquistador, set out to find the Inca. In 1531, he reached the Incan capital of Cuzco. He had only 180 soldiers with him, but they were enough. The Empire was torn by civil war. Rival forces of Atahualpa and Huascar, half-brothers, were fighting for power over the Empire.

Atahualpa asked Pizarro for help in defeating Huascar. Instead, Pizarro made Atahualpa his prisoner. To save himself, Atahualpa arranged for enough gold and silver to fill two rooms to be given to Pizarro. Atahualpa also had to arrange for the murder of Huascar. Rather than set Atahualpa free, Pizarro seized the ransom. He then had Atahualpa tried, convicted, and executed for Huascar’s death.

The Inca were leaderless. Without a ruler, the Empire began to fall apart. Pizarro seized much of the territory and its vast wealth of gold and silver for Spain