Lies and the execution of King Atahualpa

1533 The last Inca ruler of Peru, Atahualpa (born c. 1502), was executed on the orders (and perfidy) of Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro had promised Atahualpa's people that their king would be returned to them if the Spaniards received gold, but despite receiving many tons of the yellow metal, Pizarro had Atahualpa strangled.

At the Battle of Cajamarca, on November 16 the preceding year, Pizarro, with only 168 men, had conquered the Incan king in one of the most extraordinary battles of all time. Atahualpa had 80,000 battle-hardened soldiers who had recently defeated an indigenous enemy. However, the Spaniards had iron swords, guns, horses and armour, which the Incas did not.

Pizarro himself had grabbed Atahualpa from the litter, or palanquin, on which the great king was borne, calling out the Spanish war cry ("Santiago!", or "St James!") as he did so. The conquistador took Atahualpa prisoner and demanded a ransom, which the Incan king’s subjects duly paid. The ransom was almost unbelievable – enough gold to fill a room 22 feet long by 17 feet wide to a height of over 8 feet. When it was delivered, the good Christian Pizarro reneged on his promise and had Atahualpa strangled to death ...

Categories: peru, south+america, history, imperialism, colonialism