ABSTRACT
Adistant cousin of HernánCortés, Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas of Peru, expanding the Spanish overseas empire and contributing to the transformation of South American and European societies. In 1527 he made port at Tumbes (Peru) and was welcomed by an Inca nobleman. Encouraged, Pizarro, back in Panama, resolved to return to Spain in 1529 to ask royal permission to continue. Given full command, Pizarro returned with his half-brothers and approximately 180 soldiers. In 1532 they reached Peru, and in November they arrived at Cajamarca, home of the Inca ruler, Atahualpa. The Spaniards massacred Atahualpas men and he was taken hostage and later executed. The conquistadors went on to capture the capital, Cuzco. Already weakened by civil war and smallpox, the Inca Empire collapsed. Francisco Pizarro's conquest, motivated by lust for gold and silver, led to the Spanish colonization of South America and the wholesale remaking of that continent's culture.
