(Read on your own or listen along to the reading)

Incas: At the same time the Aztecs were growing their empire in Mexico, the Incas were a thriving empire in Peru.

Pizarro:

Cortés's success inspired other adventures. In 1530, another Spanish conquistador by the name of Francisco Pizarro sailed to the Pacific coast of South America. In 1532, he landed at San Mateo Bay in Peru. After traveling through desert and snow-capped mountains, Pizarro and his men (who included Hernando de Soto) arrived at Cajamarca (in 1533), where they captured Atahualpa, the 13th and last emperor of the Incas.

Pizarro's route is depicted below.

Atahualpa had just won a civil war against his half-brother (Huáscar), and had executed Huáscar and his family. Atahualpa had invited Pizarro to a celebratory feast, thinking that the Spanish were not much of a threat. Pizarro ambushed Atahualpa and killed thousands of his men. Atahualpa offered a huge ransom for his own release, but Pizarro took the treasure and had Atahualpa strangled on Aug. 29, 1533. This marked the end of the Incan empire.

After looting and generally destroying the Incan capital of Cusco, Pizarro founded Lima (which he called Ciudad de los Reyes, which means "City of the Kings"). Pizarro was assassinated in Lima, Peru, in 1541, by followers of Pedro de Almagro (Cortes' captain) who wanted to seize Lima for its riches.

Conquest

How could a few hundred European soldiers conquer huge Native American empires comprised of millions? Several reasons explain the amazing - seemingly unlikely - Spanish success:

Conclusion

Native Americans continued to resist the invaders. Even after the death of Atahualpa, revolts erupted among the Incas. Throughout the Americas, Natives resisted Europeans by preserving aspects of their own culture, such as language, religious traditions, and clothing.

Yet, the Spanish seized gold and silver statues and ornaments from the Aztec and Inca. After depleting these sources, they forced Native Americans to mine silver in Peru and Mexico. In the 1500's and early 1600's treasure fleets sailed each year to Spain or the Spanish Philippines loaded with gold and silver. In the next lesson, we will see how this flood of wealth created both benefits and challenges for Europe's economy.