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Summary
- Early Life and Career
- Expeditions to South America
- Conquest and Rule of the Inca Empire
- Death
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about Francisco Pizarro!
Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and soldier who led the conquest of the Inca Empire in South America. He was born in Trujillo, Spain, in the 1470s and grew up poor. Hoping to become rich, he went to the Americas. In the early 1530s, he used a small army to defeat the powerful Inca Empire and captured their leader, Atahualpa. Pizarro later founded the city of Lima, which became the capital of Spanish Peru. He was killed in 1541 by enemies during a struggle for power.
Francisco Pizarro
Early Life and Career of Francisco Pizarro
- Pizarro was born around 1475 in Trujillo, a town in Extremadura, Spain, which was part of the Crown of Castile. He was the illegitimate son of Gonzalo Pizarro, a soldier who had served in Navarre and Italy under the famous general Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. His mother, Francisca González, came from a poor family, and Pizarro grew up in poverty with little support. As an illegitimate child from a poor background, he had very few chances in life. He received little or no education and stayed illiterate all his life.
- Pizarro had several half-brothers, including Francisco Martín de Alcántara, who would later join him in the conquest of Peru. He was distantly related to Hernán Cortés, the Spanish leader who took over the Aztec Empire in Mexico. This family link connected him to some of the powerful men involved in Spain’s expansion overseas.
- Growing up in hardship in Extremadura, he, like many other poor young Spaniards of the time, saw the Americas as a place of opportunity where he might find adventure, riches and a better life. On 10 November 1509, Pizarro left Spain and sailed to the Americas with Alonso de Ojeda, joining an expedition to Urabá (in present-day Colombia). Ojeda’s colony failed, and Pizarro ended up in charge of the few survivors until they gave up and left. He then went to Cartagena and joined the fleet of Martín Fernández de Enciso.
- In 1513, Pizarro took part in one of the most important early explorations of the mainland when he joined Vasco Núñez de Balboa in the crossing of the Isthmus of Panama. This expedition was the first European group to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. When Pedro Arias Dávila became the new governor of Castilla de Oro in 1514, Pizarro worked closely with him. Dávila rewarded Pizarro with land, cattle and a group of Indigenous labourers, which gave him more local power and wealth.
- In 1519, Pizarro arrested Balboa on Dávila’s orders, leading to Balboa’s execution. As a reward, Pizarro became mayor and magistrate of Panama City (1519–1523), which helped him prepare for later expeditions.
Expeditions to South America
- First Expedition
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- Years: 1524–1525
- Goal: Find rich lands south of Panama
- Size: About 80 men and 4 horses
- What Happened:
- Bad weather and little food
- Attacked by Indigenous people
- Did not reach Peru
- Result: Failed and returned to Panama
- Pizarro’s First Expedition to South America started through earlier news brought back to Panama by Pascual de Andagoya, a Spanish explorer who had travelled along the western coast of South America in 1522. Andagoya had reached as far as the San Juan River, which lies near the present-day border between Ecuador and Colombia. There, he had met several Indigenous leaders or curacas and heard stories of a rich land to the south, known by locals as Virú, located near a river called Pirú.
- These stories were later passed down by Garcilaso de la Vega, a Spanish-Inca writer, who helped preserve the name that would become ‘Perú’. Andagoya fell ill and returned to Panama, but the stories he shared about a wealthy kingdom full of gold (possibly the fabled El Dorado) inspired others to explore further.
- Pizarro was one of those who took notice. While still in Panama in 1524, he formed a partnership with two other Spaniards: Diego de Almagro, a soldier, and Hernando de Luque, a priest. Together, they agreed to try to explore and conquer the lands to the south.
- Their arrangement, though not written down, was clear: Pizarro would lead the expedition, Almagro would gather men and supplies, and Luque would handle finances and act as the group’s link to the Church. They named their effort the Empresa del Levante (the venture of the south).
- In November 1524, Pizarro set out from Panama on the first of three planned expeditions. He had around 80 men and 4 horses. Juan de Salcedo served as standard bearer, Nicolás de Ribera was the treasurer and Juan Carvallo was the inspector. Almagro stayed behind at first to collect more men and resources, planning to join Pizarro later. At the time, the Governor of Panama, Pedro Arias Dávila, supported the idea in principle but did not give strong backing.
- The journey turned out to be extremely difficult. As Pizarro’s small force moved down the Pacific coast, they ran into rough weather, dense jungle, dangerous animals, and fierce resistance from Indigenous peoples. Food and clean water were very hard to find. The places they passed were often given names that showed their suffering, like Puerto Deseado (desired port), Puerto del Hambre (port of hunger), and Punta Quemado or Puebla Quemado (burned port). These names clearly show how hard and painful the journey was.
- Eventually, Almagro joined the expedition, but during a battle with Indigenous warriors at Punta Quemada, he was struck in the eye by an arrow and permanently lost it. The fighting, disease and harsh conditions made it clear that they were not yet ready to push further south. Fearing more losses and lacking proper supplies, Pizarro called off the expedition and returned to Panama.
- Second Expedition
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- Years: 1526–1528
- Goal: Explore further south
- Size: Around 160 men and a few horses
- What Happened:
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- Reached places with Inca buildings
- Saw gold and silver for the first time
- 13 men stayed with Pizarro (Los Trece)
- Result: Showed Peru’s great wealth, convincing the Spanish Crown to support
- Pizarro’s Second Expedition was longer, more ambitious and more important than the first. Two years after the failure of the first expedition, Pizarro, de Almagro and de Luque tried again. Although the governor Dávila had lost confidence in Pizarro due to earlier losses, he eventually gave permission for the expedition to go ahead. In July 1526, Dávila was replaced by a new governor, Pedro de los Ríos, who also allowed the mission to continue and would later join Pizarro in Peru.
- On 10 March 1526, Pizarro set sail from Panama with 2 ships, 160 men and a few horses. They reached the San Juan River in present-day Colombia. From there, the group split up. Pizarro stayed in the swampy, disease-filled region to explore, while Almagro returned to Panama to get reinforcements and supplies.
- Meanwhile, Pizarro’s main pilot, Bartolomé Ruiz, continued sailing south and made a major discovery. He captured a native raft from Tumbes, which carried textiles, pottery and gold, silver and emeralds. This was the first real proof of the wealthy civilisation they had been searching for. Ruiz also brought back Indigenous people from the raft who later helped serve as translators.
- Ruiz sailed back north and rejoined Pizarro and his sick and weakened men at the San Juan River. Shortly after, Almagro also arrived, bringing food and about 80 new recruits who had just arrived from Spain. With this renewed strength and Ruiz’s exciting news, the expedition continued south again, reaching Atacames on the coast of present-day Ecuador. There, they found a large Indigenous population that had recently been conquered by the Inca. However, the people were strong and hostile, and the Spaniards, though encouraged by the signs of civilisation, decided it was too risky to continue inland.
- Back near the coast, the group faced more problems. Pizarro stayed at the small and safer Isla de Gallo while Almagro and Luque returned to Panama to seek more support. However, governor de los Ríos, who was worried about the deaths and poor results from the expeditions, refused to send more help. Instead, he sent two ships under Juan Tafur with orders to bring Pizarro and the rest of the group back to Panama.
- Pizarro refused. In a well-known moment, he drew a line in the sand and said:
“There lies Peru with its riches; Here, Panama and its poverty. Choose, each man, what best becomes a brave Castilian. For my part, I go to the south.”
- Only 13 men agreed to stay with him, later called The Famous Thirteen (Los Trece de la Fama). The rest left with Tafur.
- After the ships left, Pizarro and his men built a small boat and travelled 25 leagues north to Isla Gorgona. There they remained for seven months, waiting for help. In Panama, Luque finally convinced the governor to send one more ship, this time only to bring Pizarro home. But instead of returning, Luque and Almagro took this chance to join Pizarro again. Though they had no new soldiers, they brought fresh supplies and the will to continue.
- In April 1528, the explorers finally reached the Tumbes region in northern Peru. This was the breakthrough they had been waiting for. The local people welcomed them kindly and gave them food and gifts. Two of Pizarro’s men, Alonso de Molina and Pedro de Candia, explored the area and reported signs of great wealth, including gold and silver decorations in the homes of the local chiefs. They also saw the llama for the first time, which Pizarro described as a small camel.
- Before heading back to Panama, the group sailed further south along the coast and passed through areas they later named Cabo Blanco, Payta, Sechura, Punta de Aguja, Santa Cruz and Trujillo (a city later founded by Almagro). They reached as far south as the ninth degree of latitude in South America.
The Famous Thirteen
- On the way back, they stopped again at Tumbes. Two Spanish men stayed behind to learn the native language and culture. In return, Pizarro received two young boys to learn Spanish. One of them, Felipillo, would later serve as an important interpreter during the conquest, similar to La Malinche’s role for Hernán Cortés in Mexico. Finally, they returned to Isla Gorgona to pick up two sick men who had been left behind (one had since died). After around 18 months away, Pizarro and his group returned to Panama. Now, with real proof of a rich empire, their goal became clear: to return with royal backing and a stronger army for the final conquest of Peru.
- Third Expedition
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- Years: 1531–1533
- Goal: Conquer the Inca Empire
- Size: Started with 180 men and 27 horses; later grew to over 500 men and more than 80 horses
- What Happened:
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- Battle of Puná
- Set up the first Spanish town in Peru (San Miguel)
- Captured Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca
- Took a large ransom of gold and silver
- Killed Atahualpa
- Took over Cuzco, the Inca capital
- Result: Successful conquest of the Inca Empire
- After returning from the Second Expedition, Pizarro, de Almagro and de Luque planned a third journey to the south. However, governor de los Ríos refused to give permission. He had lost confidence in the costly and dangerous expeditions, which had brought little success and many deaths.
- Faced with this refusal, the partners decided that Pizarro should travel to Spain himself to ask for royal support. In the spring of 1528, he sailed from Panama to Spain, taking with him Indigenous people, llamas, textiles, and samples of gold and silver as proof of the wealth they had found. He arrived in Seville by early summer and made his way to Toledo, where King Charles I was staying.
- Pizarro met with the king and explained the details of his journeys and the riches of the land they had explored. He spoke of the large empire in the Andes, full of gold, silver and powerful rulers, and said his efforts were aimed at expanding the Spanish Crown’s territory.
- Charles was impressed by the reports, but before leaving for Italy, he left the matter in the hands of Queen Isabel of Portugal, who signed the Capitulación de Toledo on 6 July 1529.
- This important agreement gave Pizarro royal permission to carry out the conquest of Peru. It made him Governor, Captain General, Adelantado (military commander), and Alguacil Mayor (chief justice) of a new territory called New Castile, covering 200 leagues of the coast of South America. However, the terms of the agreement gave Pizarro most of the power and titles, while his partners, especially Almagro, were left with secondary roles. This unfair division would later lead to serious conflict.
- One condition of the grant was that Pizarro had to raise a force of 250 men, with at least 100 coming from the colonies. He used the time in Spain to visit his hometown, Trujillo, where he persuaded several relatives to join him, including his brothers Hernando, Juan and Gonzalo Pizarro, his half-brother Francisco Martín de Alcántara, and his cousin Pedro Pizarro, who became his personal page. Another key figure, Francisco de Orellana, also joined the group and would later explore the Amazon River.
- Although Pizarro was unable to gather the full number of men required by the royal licence, he quietly left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in January 1530 and sailed to La Gomera in the Canary Islands, where he was joined by his brother Hernando and more men. By the end of that year, the expedition set sail for Panama.
- Pizarro’s third and final expedition departed Panama on 27 December 1530. It included 3 ships, 180 men and 27 horses. Though small in number, the group was better prepared, more determined, and guided by knowledge gathered from earlier expeditions.
Conquest and Rule of the Inca Empire
- In 1531, Pizarro and his small force arrived on the coast near present-day Ecuador. They reached the provinces of Coaque and Esmeraldas, collecting gold, silver and emeralds, which they sent back to Panama to attract more recruits. Sebastián de Belalcázar soon joined him with more men.
- However, before reaching their main target of Tumbes, Pizarro’s men were forced to fight the Punian Indigenous nation in a battle that left several Spaniards dead and wounded.
- When Hernando de Soto arrived with 100 more volunteers and horses, the expedition advanced to Tumbes, only to find it abandoned and destroyed, allegedly attacked by Indigenous groups. Unable to settle there, Pizarro moved inland and founded the first Spanish town in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in May 1532. He left 50 men to guard the settlement and marched with about 200 men towards the interior of the empire.
- At that time, the Inca Empire was weakened by a recent civil war between two royal brothers, Atahualpa and Huáscar, following the death of their father, Emperor Huayna Capac. Atahualpa had emerged victorious and was resting near Cajamarca when he learnt of the Spanish arrival.
- On 15 November 1532, Pizarro reached Cajamarca with a force of only 110 infantry, 67 cavalry, 3 arquebuses and 2 small cannons. Though vastly outnumbered by the Inca, who had around 50,000 troops in the area, the Spanish used deception and superior weaponry. Atahualpa was invited to a peaceful meeting, where Dominican friar Vicente de Valverde and interpreter Felipillo attempted to explain the Christian faith and the need to recognise Emperor Charles V. Atahualpa refused and rejected Spanish demands.
- The next day, the Spanish launched a surprise attack in what became the Battle of Cajamarca. They killed Atahualpa’s guards and took him prisoner while suffering minimal losses themselves. Atahualpa was held in the Ransom Room, where he promised to fill a large room with gold and two others with silver in exchange for his freedom.
- Over the next few months, treasure from across the empire was brought to Cajamarca. Despite fulfilling his promise, Atahualpa was tried and found guilty on charges such as treason, fratricide, and plotting against the Spanish. Though Pizarro and de Soto were not fully in favour of killing him, Atahualpa was executed by garrotte on 29 August 1533.
- By early 1533, Almagro had joined Pizarro with 150 men and 50 horses. With new reinforcements, the Spanish advanced towards Cuzco, the heart of the empire. They were accompanied by Inca general Chalcuchimac, who was later burned alive, and later by Manco Inca Yupanqui, a surviving royal relative, who agreed to cooperate after the death of another puppet ruler, Túpac Huallpa.
- The Spanish entered Cuzco on 15 November 1533, seizing the city and its treasures. Pizarro marvelled at its size and beauty, describing it in a letter to King Charles as more splendid than any city seen in the Indies. Though they had captured the capital, the region remained unstable.
- In April 1534, Jauja was made a temporary capital, but due to its highland location and poor access to the coast, Pizarro decided to found a new capital. On 6 January 1535, he established Lima on the central coast, a move he considered one of his greatest achievements. Lima soon became the main centre of Spanish control in Peru.
- However, Spanish rule faced growing resistance. In early 1536, Manco Inca rebelled with a large army, possibly 100,000 strong, and laid siege to Cuzco. He also sent forces to attack other Spanish-held settlements. The Incas had studied Spanish fighting methods and used them well, even using the land to trap Spanish horsemen. But even with these efforts, they could not take back Cuzco. The city was held by only about 200 Spanish soldiers with guns. The siege failed, and this marked the end of Inca resistance.
- Meanwhile, a power struggle emerged between Pizarro and Almagro over control of Cuzco. Both had been granted different governorates by the Crown – New Castile to Pizarro and New Toledo to Almagro – but the borders were not clearly defined. Their rivalry turned violent. In 1538, Almagro was defeated at the Battle of Las Salinas and executed. His son, Diego de Almagro ‘El Mozo’, later tried to avenge him but lost his lands and influence.
- Spanish rule also involved significant cultural destruction and exploitation. Indigenous religion was suppressed, temples were destroyed or converted, and the encomienda system allowed Spaniards to control land and native labour. The population, already suffering from disease, was reduced further by forced labour and violence.
Pizarro meets with Atahualpa
- Atahualpa’s young wife, Cuxirimay Ocllo Yupanqui, was taken to Cuzco and renamed Doña Angelina. She became Pizarro’s concubine and bore him two sons, Juan and Francisco.
Death of Francisco Pizarro
- On 26 June 1541, Pizarro was assassinated in Lima during a violent uprising led by supporters of de Almagro ‘El Mozo’. Around 20 heavily armed men stormed Pizarro’s palace with the goal of seizing power. Most of Pizarro’s guests fled the scene, but a few, including his half-brother Martín de Alcántara, stayed and fought.
- While trying to put on his armour, Pizarro managed to kill two attackers and seriously injure a third. However, the attackers overpowered him. According to one account by chronicler Agustín de Zárate, Pizarro fought until he was too exhausted to lift his sword. He was then fatally stabbed in the throat. Before dying, he reportedly drew a cross on the floor with his own blood and kissed it.
- A modern forensic study of Pizarro’s remains later confirmed that he had suffered multiple stab wounds to the head and neck, along with cuts on his arms and hands, likely from trying to defend himself. After his death, he was quickly buried in the courtyard of the Lima Cathedral. His remains were later moved inside the cathedral, though at some point his head and body were separated and placed in different sealed boxes.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Francisco Pizarro
- Who was Francisco Pizarro?
He was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, in the 1530s, led the conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru.
- How did he conquer the Inca Empire?
In 1532, Pizarro captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa at the Battle of Cajamarca with only about 180 men. Although Atahualpa offered a vast ransom in gold and silver, Pizarro had him executed. The Spanish then advanced to Cuzco, the Inca capital, seizing control.
- What was the impact of Pizarro’s conquest?
It led to the fall of the Inca Empire, vast wealth flowing to Spain, the spread of Christianity, and devastating effects on indigenous populations through disease, warfare, and forced labour.