Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Inca Empire
In November 1532 Francisco Pizarro led 168 Spaniards to the Andean city of Cajamarca, where he ambushed and captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa in a surprise attack on his bodyguard. Despite Atahualpa filling a room with gold and silver as ransom, Pizarro had him garroted in July 1533 after a show trial. The Spanish then occupied Cusco, the Inca capital, in November 1533, and within a decade had effectively dismantled the largest empire in the pre-Columbian Americas. Inca resistance continued in various forms for decades, centring on the Neo-Inca state at Vilcabamba until 1572.
- Year: 1532 CE
- Category: Military
