Francisco Pizarro and the Conquest of the Inca Empire
This paper examines Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire along the western coast of South America. It traces the key stages of the conquest, beginning with Pizarro's early explorations and his authorization by the Spanish crown, through his military encounters with Atahualpa and the capture of Cuzco, to the execution of Incan general Chalcuchimac. The paper also analyzes the major obstacles Pizarro faced: hostile native populations, harsh Andean terrain and climate, and internal rivalry with fellow conquistador Diego de Almagro, whose jealousy over the spoils of war ultimately led to his own execution. Together, these elements reveal the conquest as a prolonged, complex campaign of military strategy, political cunning, and fragile alliances.
- Introduction: Overview of Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire
- The Conquest of Peru and the Fall of Atahualpa: Military campaign, Atahualpa's capture, and Chalcuchimac's execution
- Roads, Strongholds, and the Path to Cuzco: Andean roads used to advance toward the Incan capital
- The Rivalry Between Pizarro and Almagro: Alliance breakdown and Almagro's execution by Pizarro
- Challenges Faced During the Conquest: Military, environmental, and internal obstacles Pizarro overcame
- Conclusion: Full arc of the conquest summarized and assessed
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper provides a clear chronological narrative of the conquest, making it accessible while covering key events, figures, and turning points in logical sequence.
- It incorporates multiple primary and secondary sources—including Hemming, Prescott, and Quintana—to substantiate specific claims about individual figures such as Chalcuchimac and Almagro.
- The paper identifies distinct categories of challenge (military, environmental, and internal) in a structured analytical passage, demonstrating the ability to synthesize events into thematic observations.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses cited evidence to support specific narrative claims. For example, Quintana is cited when describing Chalcuchimac's refusal to convert, and Prescott is used to characterize Pizarro's reaction to Almagro's plea for mercy. This technique—anchoring character detail in primary or near-primary sources—demonstrates source-driven historical argumentation at an introductory undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction establishing the scope and significance of the Inca Empire and Pizarro's role. The body is divided into narrative sections covering the conquest itself, the role of Andean roads, and the breakdown of the Pizarro–Almagro alliance. A dedicated paragraph synthesizes the difficulties Pizarro faced. The conclusion recapitulates the full arc of the conquest and reinforces the theme that it was a sustained, disciplined campaign rather than a single decisive event. A Works Cited list follows MLA format.
Introduction
Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in South America. The Inca Empire was an amalgamation of territories along the western seaboard of South America, stretching from what is modern-day Colombia to the southern tip of modern-day Chile. The Incan Empire consisted of several cultures with several different languages and was similar in its expansion to what the Roman Empire had been in its glory days. However, with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors led by Pizarro, many natives were willing to cooperate with the Spaniards in the overthrow of Incan rule. This paper describes the conquest, its process, the difficulties encountered, the persons involved, and what ultimately became of them.
The Conquest of Peru and the Fall of Atahualpa
When Pizarro arrived in Peru, the Incan Empire was undergoing a transformation. The royal family was fighting amongst itself, and the Empire was embroiled in civil war. Many natives were fighting and there was little unity. Pizarro had previously explored down to Panama, but once he received permission to conquer the Inca, he set about doing so by returning to Peru, where the capital of the Empire lay.
The Spanish had developed effective military tactics through their battles with Muslim warriors in the mountains of Spain, so they were well adapted to the mountains of western South America. Although the Spaniards were few in number, their military capabilities and their new native allies gave them a superior edge over the Inca. After establishing a foothold in Ecuador at the Battle of Puna, Pizarro sent Hernando de Soto into the interior. De Soto was invited, along with the other Spaniards, to meet Atahualpa—one of the rulers of the Empire, which had descended into civil war among the sons of Huayna Capac and across the new lands the Incas had recently conquered themselves. Atahualpa was one of the sons engaged in that war.
The Spaniards met peacefully with Atahualpa, but the two sides failed to understand one another, and Atahualpa was imprisoned along with his general Chalcuchimac. Chalcuchimac had been an important leader for Atahualpa, fighting effectively against his enemies and having already helped defeat portions of the Incan army that might otherwise have posed problems for the Spaniards. In this sense, Chalcuchimac had unwittingly advanced the aims of the conquistadors by fighting in the Incan civil war against parts of the native population. After the Spaniards executed Atahualpa, Chalcuchimac remained in Spanish company as they moved to take Cuzco. The Spaniards suspected that Chalcuchimac was secretly coordinating with native attackers in the region in order to halt the conquistadors' progress. Pizarro ordered Chalcuchimac to be burned to death, though a less gruesome death would be offered if he converted to Christianity. Chalcuchimac refused to convert (Quintana 223).
Roads, Strongholds, and the Path to Cuzco
The main road uniting the Incan territories was known as the Qhapaq Nan, which ran north to south for over 3,500 miles through the Andes Mountains. It was this road that allowed the Inca to move soldiers from location to location and maintain control over the Empire's diverse peoples. The Camino Real was also significant to Pizarro, as it was another route that, like the Qhapaq Nan, carried travelers over the tall mountains of western South America. Pizarro used these roads to navigate to important cities in different regions and establish strongholds there. The Qhapaq Nan was the main road out of Cuzco, the capital of the Empire, and it enabled Pizarro and his forces to advance on the capital with little impediment.
Conclusion
The entire process of the conquest unfolded as follows: Pizarro and Balboa explored the Pacific coast; Pizarro then arrested Balboa, who was executed (Hemming 23). Pizarro was made mayor of Panama City. From this position he made friends with Hernando de Luque and Diego de Almagro (whom Pizarro would also later execute). Together they went south to explore and find riches. The Spanish crown granted permission to the conquistadors to conquer the foreign lands in the name of Spain (Somervill 52). Previous to this, the conquistadors had conducted some exploration along the western coast of South America; now they returned to Peru with a mandate to spread the Christian faith and amass fortunes for the crown as well as for themselves.
The conquest proceeded as Pizarro led his men into Peru and encountered the various native tribes. Some were eager to assist the newcomers in their campaign against their Incan rulers, whom they resented due to the bloody civil wars of the era. Pizarro also relied on cunning to take control of rulers when possible, since his own men were few in number and it was often better to use guile than to depend entirely on native allies, whose interests did not always align with those of the Spaniards. Once Pizarro conquered the Incan capital, he was able to extend his reach as reinforcements arrived from Spain and the number of conquistadors grew. Maintaining control of the capital was equally important, as infighting among the Spaniards proved troublesome at times. The conquest was therefore a continual process—one that did not happen overnight but had to be undertaken and maintained again and again with sustained discipline.
Works Cited
Hemming, J. The Conquest of the Incas. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1970. Print.
Leon, P. The Discovery and Conquest of Peru. Durham: Duke University, 1998. Print.
Prescott, William H. The History of the Conquest of Peru. NY: Dover Publications, 2005. Print.
Quintana, Manuel Jose. Lives of Vasco Nunez de Balboa and Francisco Pizarro. Trans. Margaret Hodson. Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1832. Print.
Somervill, Barbara. Francisco Pizarro: Conqueror of the Incas. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2005. Print.
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