Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro was the Spanish conquistador whose conquest of the Inca Empire reshaped South America and established Spanish colonial rule across the Andes.

Francisco Pizarro Early Life and Exploration Career

Francisco Pizarro was born around 1478 in Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain, the illegitimate son of Gonzalo Pizarro, a Spanish military officer, and Francisca González. Growing up in modest circumstances in rural Spain, he received little formal education but developed ambitions that would drive him across the Atlantic to seek fortune and glory in the New World.

Francisco Pizarro traveled to the Americas in the early sixteenth century, initially participating in expeditions throughout the Caribbean. He later moved to Panama, where he joined ventures exploring the western coast of South America. In 1513, he accompanied Vasco Núñez de Balboa on the historic expedition that discovered the Pacific Ocean, gaining valuable experience in exploration and military leadership.

Between 1524 and 1528, Francisco Pizarro undertook two voyages of discovery down the Colombian coast, pushing southward into territories rumored to contain wealthy indigenous civilizations. These expeditions were difficult and costly, but they confirmed the existence of a rich empire to the south that would become his ultimate target and life's defining achievement.

Francisco Pizarro Conquest of the Inca Empire

In 1529, Francisco Pizarro obtained permission from the Crown of Castile to lead a campaign to conquer Peru. He returned to Spain to secure royal backing, receiving authorization and the title of Governor of New Castile. In January 1530, he departed Spain with everything needed to launch his conquest, including his four brothers who would serve as key commanders.

Francisco Pizarro arrived in present-day northern Peru in late 1531 with a remarkably small force of approximately 180 men and 37 horses. He exploited a civil war within the Inca Empire between rival claimants Atahualpa and Huáscar to advance his position. Moving inland, he founded the first Spanish settlement in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, establishing a base for further operations.

The decisive moment came on November 15, 1532 at the Battle of Cajamarca. Francisco Pizarro arranged a meeting with Atahualpa, the Inca emperor, in the town square. In a surprise attack, Spanish forces slaughtered thousands of unarmed Inca retainers and captured Atahualpa himself. Despite receiving an enormous ransom of gold and silver for the emperor's release, Pizarro had Atahualpa garroted in 1533, eliminating the central figure of Inca resistance.

Following Atahualpa's death, Francisco Pizarro marched to Cuzco, the Inca capital, which he occupied in November 1533 without significant resistance. This marked the effective conquest of the Inca Empire, though Spanish forces would continue fighting indigenous rebellions for decades until achieving complete control by 1572. Pizarro's victory transformed the political landscape of South America and opened vast territories to Spanish colonization.

Founding of Lima and Colonial Administration

In January 1535, Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima, which he named la Ciudad de los Reyes, the City of Kings. Located on the Pacific coast, Lima served as the capital of his new colonial territory and became the administrative center of Spanish rule in Peru. The city would grow to become one of the most important urban centers in South America.

Francisco Pizarro governed Peru from Lima for nearly a decade, establishing colonial institutions and distributing land and indigenous labor among his followers through the encomienda system. In 1537, he was created the 1st Marquess of the Conquest by the Crown of Castile, recognizing his achievements and granting him noble status and extensive privileges.

His administration faced challenges from rival Spanish factions, particularly followers of his former partner Diego de Almagro, with whom he had serious disputes over territorial claims and the division of spoils. These internal conflicts among conquistadors would ultimately prove fatal to Pizarro's rule and his life.

Death Legacy and Historical Impact

Francisco Pizarro was assassinated on June 26, 1541 in Lima by supporters of Diego de Almagro the Younger, son of his former partner whom Pizarro had executed. The attack occurred in the governor's palace, where conspirators stabbed him to death. According to legend, as he fell, Pizarro drew a cross in his own blood on the floor and kissed it before dying at approximately age 63.

Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire stands as one of the most consequential events in world history. His actions destroyed the Inca state, initiated the decline of indigenous Andean cultures, and established Spanish colonial rule that would last nearly three centuries. The vast silver mines of Peru, particularly at Potosí, would fund the Spanish Empire and transform global economics.

The legacy of Francisco Pizarro remains deeply controversial. In Spain and among some historians, he is remembered as a bold explorer and military genius who achieved extraordinary conquests against overwhelming odds. In Peru and among indigenous peoples, he is increasingly viewed as a criminal whose invasion brought devastation, disease, and cultural destruction to advanced civilizations.

Francisco Pizarro's tomb rests in Lima Cathedral, where his remains were placed in 1932 after multiple relocations. Statues and monuments to him exist in both Lima and his birthplace of Trujillo, Spain, though debates continue about how to commemorate a figure whose achievements came at such profound human cost to the indigenous peoples of the Americas whose civilizations were forever changed by his conquest.