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Francisco Pizarro short biography. Pizarro Francisco, Spanish conquistador: biography, interesting facts

Francisco Pizarro y Gonzalez, Spanish conquistador, governor of Peru, founder of the city of Lima and, perhaps, the most successful conqueror of the lands of the New World.

He was born in the Spanish city of Trujillo province of Extremadura around 1475. Not much earlier, a brave army captain seduced a young commoner who gave birth to a son who was never recognized by his father until the end of his life.

Francisco grew up among peasant children in the mother's family and did not receive any education, did not even know how to read and write. However, he was bold and ambitious. These qualities prompted the young man to go into military service, and then go with the Spanish army on a risky expedition to the shores of South America in search of countless treasures.

As part of the army, from 1502 for fifteen years by Pissarro conquered new lands from the Indians for the Spanish crown and dreamed of becoming rich. However, like many junior military officials, he received only miserable crumbs from the plundered riches. The result of many years of service was a small estate in Central America near the city of Panama.

The spirit of adventurism, the desire for fame and fortune forced the already middle-aged Pissarro, in the company of the same adventurers, to raise some funds and equip an expedition south of Panama. In 1524, two ships and a couple of hundred people decided reach the richest land of Eldorado about which there were many legends.

The first attempt was unsuccessful: the campaign had to be interrupted in an unremarkable San Juan Delta due to running out of supplies.

In 1526, the conquistadors repeated their campaign. This time they stopped in the San Juan Delta, and one of the ships was sent further south. As a result, this ship under the command of Bartholomew Ruiz reached Tumaco Bay and moved beyond the equator. The team succeeded in capturing several locals, who confirmed the tales of a vast and rich country of powerful Incas, located further south.

A year later, Pizarro goes to third trip in search of a golden country, but again they were forced to stop before reaching the equator, due to lack of supplies. One of Francisco's companions with a small detachment went back to Panama for provisions, and Pizarro stayed to wait for his return on one of the coastal islands.

Unfortunately for the conquistadors, by that time the governor had changed in Panama. The new nobleman did not support adventures with the seizure of land, therefore, instead of supplies, Francisco received an order to return the expedition home. The team members were ready to return to their families, but Pissarro had a knack for persuasion. He stepped forward drew with a sword in the sand line, stepped over it and invited everyone who believes in the untold riches of El Dorado and does not want to live in poverty to follow his example. Only a half dozen people followed him. The rest returned home.

Pizarro and like-minded people remained abandoned on the island and lived there, hunting for food. Six months later, the governor sent a ship for them, but Francisco persuaded the captain to go home not immediately, but pass with reconnaissance in a southerly direction.

The ship passed along the coast and deepened far beyond the equator. Amazing pictures of large and small villages, cultivated fields and flowering oases among arid lands appeared before the eyes of travelers. It became clear, one hundred mysterious a huge and rich country exists.

To prove their case, the team members caught a pair of exotic animals with thick and long hair, which were called llamas. Several local Indians were added to the animals, as well as items made of fine wool, gold and silver.

Returning to Panama, Francisco Pizarro announced that he had discovered the country of Peru and presented the captured trophies. To conquer Peru, funds were needed that the poor adventurer did not have. He had to go to Spain for support. The enterprising conquistador managed to convince King Charles I of the success of his venture, find sponsors, gather a small detachment of volunteers and return to Panama. In his hands was patent for the conquest of Peru and the title of governor of all the reclaimed lands of South America.

In 1531, an expedition consisting of three ships and 180 people advanced to the Gulf of Guayaquil. Here he had to fight with the local Indians, trying to push them out of the island of Pune and wait for reinforcements from Panama for more than six months in order to continue the campaign. During this time there were collected information about the land of the Incas and their supreme leaders. It turned out that an early squatting system had been established in the country, and in recent years it had been weakened by internecine wars.

In September 1532, having received reinforcements, Pizarro, with a detachment of a hundred infantrymen and fifty cavalry, went to the mountain town of Cajamarca and reached the place by mid-November. Here was located Supreme Inca Atahualpa, who recently seized power after the murder of his own brother.

By cunning and deceit, the Spaniards managed to capture Atahualpa and appoint ransom, unprecedented in size. On the wall of the room in which the supreme Inca was imprisoned, a line was drawn at the height of an outstretched hand. Up to this point, it was required to fill the room with gold. The next room to the same height had to be filled with silver.

For a long six months from all over the country, Indians carried temple decorations and gold vessels to these rooms. In the middle of 1533, Pissarro realized that it would not be possible to collect the ransom in full and the resources of the Incas were running out. Then he accused Atahualpa of plotting against the Spaniards, executed him and proclaimed himself supreme ruler of Peru.

So, illiterate and uneducated, but very enterprising and cunning Francisco Pizarro conquered and destroyed the mighty Inca empire. During his reign, Pizarro built a new capital of the country on the seashore - the city of Lima. He gave houses to friends, built residences, paved roads and enjoyed the wealth that fell on him.

But the holiday did not last long. Former allies on the expeditions considered themselves left out in the division of spoils and staged constant conspiracies. As a result of one of them, Francisco Pizarro was brutally killed in battle July 26, 1541. It happened when he was in his sixties. He left four children, to whom he bequeathed to bear the name Pizarro, regardless of gender, in order to perpetuate it. And so it happened, and in Spain, in the city of Trujillo, there is a monument to the famous conquistador.

PISARRO FRANCISCO
OK. 1475–1541

Spanish conqueror of the Inca Empire. Captain General.

The illegitimate son of a Spanish military man, Francisco Pizarro entered the royal military service in his youth. Information about any education he received, as well as about the presence of combat experience before his arrival from Spain on American soil, has not been preserved. In the New World (America), he appeared in 1502, starting to serve in the military detachment of the governor of Hispaniola (Santo Domingo).
In 1513, Francisco Pizarro took part in Vasco de Balboa's military expedition to Panama, during which the Spaniards discovered the Pacific Ocean. From 1519 to 1523 he lived in Panama as a colonist, was elected magistrate and mayor of this city and managed to make a small fortune.
Interested in rumors about the Indian civilization still unknown to Europeans and its incalculable riches, the enterprising Pizarro begins to act. The Panamanian mayor, having taken as comrades the same adventurers as he, Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luca, and having recruited a detachment of Spaniards, organized two military expeditions (in 1524-1525 and 1526-1528) along the Pacific coast of modern Colombia and Ecuador .
However, both of them did not have the desired success. After the second such military expedition, the Governor of Panama refused to support Francisco Pizarro's costly ventures. When there was no money and food, the military detachment he had assembled also disintegrated - the governor ordered the Spaniards to return to Panama.
According to legend, Pizarro then drew a line on the sand with his sword and invited all members of the expedition who wished to continue to seek wealth and glory to cross this line and follow him into uncharted lands. Only twelve people remained under his command, including Diego de Almagro, who believed in their leader and his promises to make them rich.
With these twelve adventurers, Francisco Pizarro succeeded in discovering the Inca empire. It should be noted here that the Incas met white people unknown to them with great cordiality and hospitality. For royal Spain, this was a real landmark discovery. With this news, clearly supported by looted gold items, domestic animals unknown to Europeans - llamas and several treacherously captured Incas, the great adventurer returned victoriously to Panama.
However, there Francisco Pizarro, to his considerable surprise, did not receive support from the local governor. He flatly refused to finance and support the third military expedition to the south. It was dangerous to argue with the Panamanian governor - one could easily end up in the city jail. Then the persistent Pizarro sailed to Spain, where he achieved an audience with King Charles V. It was not without difficulty that he managed to convince the Spanish monarch to give him money to organize an aggressive campaign.
Having received the money, Francisco Pizarro returned to Panama in 1530 with the rank of captain general, having the family coat of arms and the right to governor over all the lands for more than six hundred miles south of Panama. But he still had to win these lands for the Spanish crown. However, this did not bother the conquistador-adventurer - Pizarro believed in his luck. He knew for sure where the borders of the Inca country began, rich in gold and cultivated fields, where the local population did not know either iron and steel, or firearms and horses, the very sight of which at one time put to flight numerous detachments of Mexican Aztec Indians.
In January 1531, Captain General Francisco Pizarro set out on his third expedition to conquer the Inca Empire. He sailed from Panama on three small sailing ships to the south, having under his command 180 infantrymen, 37 cavalrymen (according to other sources, there were 65 horses in the detachment) and two small guns. The detachment included four of his brothers, his faithful companions on the second expedition and the Catholic missionary priest Hernando de Luca. Arquebuses had only three soldiers. Twenty more were armed with long-range crossbows. The rest of the Spaniards were armed with swords and spears and dressed in steel helmets and cuirasses.
Headwinds forced the Spanish flotilla to take refuge in the bay, which received from them the name of St. Matthew. Francisco Pizarro did not wait for the weather to improve, and his detachment moved south along the Pacific coast towards the modern city of Tumbes. The Indian villages that came across on the way were plundered: the Spaniards found gold in each of them, which made their greed even more intensified.
However, Pizarro understood that he had very few forces, especially firearms. With the gold he stole at the beginning of the campaign, he decided to recruit more Spanish soldiers and buy more arquebuses and charges for them. Pizarro sent two expedition ships north, one to Panama and the other to Nicaragua.
Since the forces became much smaller, he and his detachment crossed on the third sailboat to the island of Puno south of Tumbes. So by June 1532, the first Spanish military base appeared in South America, called San Miguel de Piura. After some time, the ship sent to Nicaragua returned, on which the long-awaited reinforcements numbering about a hundred people arrived.
Now Captain-General Pizarro could continue his aggressive expedition. Once again on the mainland, the Spaniards faced the fruits of their atrocities on Indian soil. Now hospitality was out of the question. Three soldiers sent for reconnaissance were captured by local residents and killed. Along the way, there were only deserted villages without food supplies. However, this did not bother the conquistador and his people - they went further and further.
Pizarro learned a lot about the country he wanted to conquer. The Incas called themselves "children of the Sun", their huge state stretched along the Pacific coast of South America from north to south - up to 4800 kilometers in length and more than 800 kilometers in width from west to east. The number of the Incas and the Indian tribes subject to them at the time of their discovery by Europeans is estimated by researchers at about 10 million people.
The capital of the Inca state was the well-fortified city of Cusco (on the territory of modern Peru), located high in the mountains - the Andes. The capital of the Incas was protected by a fortress in Saxo, which had an impressive defensive rampart 10 meters high.
The cultivated land was public property and was divided into three parts: the first - for the Sun (priests), the second - for the Inca (supreme ruler) and the third - for the common people. The main agricultural crops were maize and potatoes. The breeding of llamas was of great importance. These unpretentious and hardy domestic animals were widely used to transport various goods.
Administratively, the Inca empire was divided into large groups of families, headed by local leaders. The Incas were a confederation of tribes, the main of which were the modern Quechua and Aymara. A large number of Indian tribes paid tribute to the Incas. The Incas knew metal - copper, silver and gold, knew how to make alloys from them and forge metal weapons, which the Aztecs did not have.
Europeans were amazed by the well-arranged roads of the Inca country. Two of them stretched from north to south: one went along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the second - along the hard-to-reach Andes. Troops moved along these roads and messengers ran with reports for the supreme Inca. Smoke signals were used for communication. It is known, for example, that in this way it was possible to transmit an order or report over a distance of 3,200 kilometers in just four hours. The buildings in their cities were erected by the Incas from large stones.
The Supreme Inca had a huge army, numbering up to 200 thousand people. For military successes, the Incas are called the "Romans of the New World." Warriors devoted a lot of time to their physical perfection, especially long-distance running. However, in armament, the Indian army could not be compared with the Spaniards. There were a large number of high-altitude stone fortresses in the country.
By the time the Spaniards, led by Francisco Pizarro, appeared in the possessions of the Incas, a bloody internecine war had just ended there, which greatly weakened the country. At the beginning of the century, the supreme leader Huayna Capac divided the Inca empire into two parts between his two sons, Atahualpa and Huascar. The latter received a large territory and therefore had more warriors. But his brother Atahualpa decided to capture the capital of Cusco and become the supreme Inca.
He managed to outwit Huascar and draw military detachments of leaders loyal to him to Cuzco. Atahualpa himself arrived at the capital under the pretext of expressing obedience, accompanied by strong guards. The deception was discovered too late, and the ruler of Cuzco simply could not muster his army. A great and bloody battle took place under the walls of the capital, which lasted all day. Huascar's army was defeated, and he himself and his leaders were captured and killed. The new supreme Inca exterminated his entire family and began to persecute his supporters. At that moment, the conquistador Francisco Pizarro appeared on the scene.
When news reached Atahualpa of the appearance in his possessions of the Spaniards, who did evil and sowed death in the Indian villages, he began to gather an army of many thousands to march against them. Pizarro, having learned about the military preparations of the supreme Inca, was not afraid and himself moved into the hard-to-reach Andes along a mountain path. The Spaniards were led by Indian guides, and they confidently moved through the mountain gorges to Cuzco. The detachment, which the conquistador led, consisted of only 110 well-armed infantrymen and 67 cavalrymen and had light guns.
To Pizarro's surprise, the Indians did not defend the mountain paths and passes against him. On November 15, 1532, the Spaniards, having overcome the peaks of the Andes, freely entered the city of Caxamarca, abandoned by the locals, and fortified in it. In front of the city, Atahualpa's huge army was already in the camp. The supreme leader of the Inca was completely confident in his superiority over the few newcomers. To match their ruler, his warriors also believed in this, who had not yet seen or heard the arquebus and cannons.
Francisco Pizarro, following the example of Cortés and many other Spanish conquerors, acted with exceptional cunning and decisiveness. He invited Atahualpa to his negotiations, knowing full well that the Incas considered their supreme leader a demigod who could not even be touched with a finger. On November 16, Atahualpa, accompanied by several thousand lightly armed warriors, deprived of protective armor, solemnly arrived at the conquistador's camp. That day, they really weren't afraid of the Spaniards.
Pizarro calculated his actions to the smallest detail. He was not at all going to conduct any negotiations with the Indian emperor. The conquistador ordered the Spaniards to unexpectedly attack the bodyguards of the supreme Inca. The cavalry attack and firing from the arquebus led to the fact that the Spaniards quickly killed the guards of Atahualpa, and he himself was taken prisoner. Francisco Pizarro himself was the only one wounded among the Spaniards in that battle. The news of the capture of the demigod - the supreme Inca led the Indian army, which was standing near Caxamarca, into such horror that it fled and never again gathered in such a multitude.
The capture of the supreme Inca had the most detrimental effect on the fate of his empire. Dissatisfied with the power of the Incas, the Indian tribes rebelled, and the adherents of the executed Huascar reasserted themselves. A huge country was in the arms of anarchy and anarchy. The Spaniards were only on hand.
Francisco Pizarro demanded a ransom from the supreme Inca for his release from captivity. He promised the conquistador and his soldiers to fill a room of 35 square meters with gold to the height of a raised hand, and fill a somewhat smaller room twice with silver. The Incas paid the full ransom for their leader. However, Pizarro, having received fabulous treasures, did not keep his word and ordered the execution of Atahualpa.
Then the Spaniards freely entered the capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco. The captain-general of the Spanish king acted like an experienced conqueror. He immediately put at the head of the conquered Indian state the puppet ruler Manco - brother Huascar. So the internecine war between the sons of the supreme Inca leader Huayna Capac led to the collapse of the great state. A little time will pass, and Manco, having fled to the mountains in 1535, will begin to raise the Incas for an armed war against the Spaniards.
In just a few years, a small army of the Spanish conquerors conquered a vast territory inhabited by the Incas and Indian tribes subject to them. Francisco Pizarro became the royal governor of vast possessions in South America - most of modern Peru and Ecuador, northern Chile and parts of Bolivia.
The historian Prescott wrote: “Pizarro betrayed the conquered peoples to his unbridled soldiers, who satisfied their lust in sacred monasteries; cities and villages were given to her for plunder; the conquerors divided the unfortunate natives among themselves as slaves and forced them to work in the mines, dispersed and senselessly destroyed the herds, devastated the granaries, destroyed the beautiful structures that increased the fertility of the soil; Paradise has been turned into a desert."
The huge Inca empire came for the time being in complete obedience to the captain-general of the king of Spain. In 1535, Francisco Pizarro, leaving his brother Juan in the Inca capital of Cuzco, set out with part of his army to the Pacific coast. There he decided to found the city of Lima - "the city of kings." At the same time, he set out to limit the vigorous activity of his longtime colleague Diego de Almagro, who was more and more out of Pizarro's subordination, as governor. And this threatened a rebellion in the army of the conqueror, already small in number.
The founding of the port city of Lima was a kind of triumph for the great Spanish conqueror. Now the governor of the former Inca empire had his own capital. Tens of thousands of Indians with slavish obedience erected palaces and Catholic churches, port facilities and fortifications according to European drawings. The city was built on a deserted ocean coast in the shortest possible time and became the stronghold of the Spanish kingdom on the Pacific coast of South America for several centuries.
However, the conquerors were expected by far from cloudless rule in the conquered Indian state. The puppet supreme Inca, who fled from Cuzco, acted successfully. Within a few months, he managed to gather an army of many thousands and in February 1536 laid siege to the capital. The siege of Cuzco lasted six months. The small Spanish garrison was exhausted by the fight against fires, which the Inca warriors carried out by throwing white-hot stones wrapped in tarred cotton.
Manco rode a Spanish horse, in steel knightly armor, and his warriors had several muskets. It is possible that all this was purchased from the Spanish soldiers greedy for jewelry for gold. The Indian army, not accustomed to conducting long sieges, began to gradually disperse to their homes. Manco, who never managed to take Cusco by attack or a long siege, was forced to retreat to the mountains with the remnants of his soldiers. He continued to raid the conquerors from there, but Francisco Pizarro, with the help of the Indians - the enemies of the Incas, managed to kill Manco. Having lost their last demigod leader, the Incas stopped organized resistance to the Spaniards.
Soon, open armed confrontation began in the very camp of the Spanish conquerors. Diego de Almagro openly accused Francisco Pizarro of cheating his soldiers in the division of the vast treasures of the Incas. Most likely, it was. Almagro's supporters rebelled.
In 1537, Pizarro, having received reinforcements from Spain, defeated Almagro's detachment in the battle near Las Salinas, and captured him himself. The victory was largely due to the fact that the royal soldiers were armed with new muskets that fired several bullets linked one to one. Diego de Almagro was executed in the name of the King of Spain.
In retaliation, supporters of the executed Diego de Almagro in June 1541 broke into the governor's palace of the great conquistador and dealt with the aged conqueror of the Inca empire. By the will of fate, Francisco Pizarro died not at the hands of Indian warriors, but at the hands of his own soldiers, whom he made rich. However, their greed knew no bounds.
Compared to other Spanish conquerors, Francisco Pizarro achieved the best results in conquering the Indian peoples and civilizations of Latin America. With the smallest number of warriors, he managed to conquer vast and densely populated lands, which kept untold riches, especially gold and silver. Soon immigrants from Spain came here, and the Catholic Church began to baptize millions of pagan Indians with a cross and a sword.
Royal Spain was fabulously enriched by precious metals, which began to flow into the metropolis from the Inca empire that had gone down in history. The great conqueror himself almost did not have to use the treasures he had stolen and be satisfied with the honors due to him. However, Francisco Pizarro inscribed his name forever in world history, as well as in the history of several states of South America. The largest monument to the great conquistador was the Peruvian capital city of Lima.

Muratov I.A.

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Spanish conquistador. In 1513-1535 he participated in the conquest of Peru. He defeated and destroyed the Inca state of Tahuantinsuyu, founded seven cities, including Lima. In 1535 he was granted the title of marquis. Killed in Lima.

Francisco Pizarro was born in Trujillo, in the province of Extremadura, 150 kilometers southwest of Madrid.

Francisco was the illegitimate son of Don Gonzalo Pizarro, nicknamed Tall, an excellent soldier who received a noble title for his bravery in battles against the Moors. His mother, Francisco Gonzalez, was the daughter of a commoner. The boy was never taught to read, he played with his peers in the vicinity of Trujillo, sometimes looking after sheep or pigs. From early youth he yearned for adventure.

In all likelihood, Pizarro left Trujillo at the age of 19 and joined the Spanish army in Italy. This hardened him and prepared him for difficult expeditions to South America. It is authentically known that in 1502 he went to America as an experienced soldier. Young Pizarro participated in a bloody campaign against the Indians on the island of Espalola (now Haiti). He soon joined Alonso de Ojeda, who is known for using Spanish tactics against the natives. Cutting through their ranks, he made a clearing in the crowd with dead bodies on both sides.

Pizarro was about 35 years old when he took part in the famous crossing of Panama with Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Thanks to this, the Pacific Ocean was included in the Spanish possessions. This was the beginning of the "brave campaign for the Grand Prix", as the Spanish conquests in South America were later called. In 1519, the city of Panama was founded, and Pizarro became one of its first inhabitants. He received his share of the land on which the Indians worked. He even became governor. When he was well over forty, he became rich, gained honor and respect, although most people of his position would prefer to rest after a stormy and full of hardships of life

What made Pizarro venture on a desperate journey along the coast of South America, play with fate, expose life and health to new trials, pursuing an illusory dream? Many of Pizarro's biographers attribute this sense of adventure to his nature as a born gamer. In his later years, he loved to play dice, skittles, pelota (Basque ball game). At the same time, he was a balanced and prudent person. He had only two passions: fighting and searching. And more than rest, he craved fame.

To finance the expedition to America, he brought Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luque to the project. The three of them bought a ship, equipped it with everything necessary, hired people. On November 14, 1524, Pizarro set sail from Panama, leading the first of his three exploratory expeditions.

However, it was not until 1528 that luck smiled at Pizarro. Crossing the equator, his detachment landed on the coast of Ecuador and Peru. In one place they were greeted by a female leader, and by the way she and her entourage behaved, how much gold and silver they had, they realized that they were in very rich lands.

Returning to Panama, Pizarro decided that it was necessary to be in Spain as soon as possible, since then not a single conquistador dared to take a step without royal permission. At the end of 1528, Pizarro arrived at the court of King Charles in Toledo. Francisco, both with his appearance and speech, made a strong impression on the 28-year-old king. At the same time, Hernan Cortes was in Toledo, who had conquered the Aztecs of Mexico by that time, and now amazed the court with valuables brought from the conquered lands, surpassing all of Spain in territory. Cortes was Pizarro's cousin and probably gave him some practical advice, and also provided him with money. Gifts in the form of skins of llamas and Inca cult objects made of gold, presented to the king, provided Pizarro with the title of governor and allowed him to receive royal blessings. He was endowed with such broad powers that none of the conquistadors in the entire history of the conquest of South America by the Spaniards was awarded.

Pizarro sailed from Spain in January 1530, but only a year later, in January 1531, the expedition was finally able to leave Panama. Three ships - two large and one small, on board were 180 soldiers, 27 horses, weapons, ammunition and belongings. The detachment was too small to conquer an empire that stretched thousands of miles inland to the Amazon jungle. Pizarro knew that the entire vast territory of the Incas was covered with a network of military roads, that numerous fortresses were guarded by strong garrisons, and the country implicitly obeyed one autocratic ruler. But he hoped to succeed, although against him were not only people, but nature itself! The vain Pizarro believed that he was quite capable of repeating the accomplishments of his fellow countryman Cortes.

Pizarro was neither a diplomat nor a great commander, but distinguished by courage and determination, as evidenced by the first actions of Pizarro in the rank of commander of the expedition.

Captain Ruiz sailed along the coast straight to Tumbes, but two weeks later storms, headwinds and currents forced him to take refuge in the bay

Saint Matthew. The Spaniards were 350 miles from Tumbes, and yet Pizarro went ashore and set off on foot south. The ships caught up with him, following along the coast. After spending thirteen days cramped aboard three small ships struggling with wind and bad weather, the soldiers were exhausted.

Despite this, Pizarro, after a difficult passage through the full-flowing rivers of the Coakwe region, raided a small city. The Spaniards were lucky: they stole 20,000 pesos worth of gold and silver, mostly in the form of crude jewelry. Emeralds were also found in the city, but only a few, including Pizarro and the Dominican friar Father Reginalde de Pedraza, knew their true value. Pizarro traded this relatively small booty for an opportunity to surprise the Indians. He loaded the treasures on ships and sent them to Panama, in the expectation that, upon seeing them, the rest of the conquistadors would join him. He then resumed his advance south.

No more loot. The villages that came across on the way were abandoned, and all the most valuable things were carried away. The conquistadors suffered from terrible heat and tropical downpours. Their skin was covered with huge purulent ulcers. People lost consciousness, died. It was the most absurd opening of a campaign ever conceived by a general, and the fact that the Spanish soldiers reached Pouayaquil Bay speaks volumes about their resilience. Camping life lasted fifteen months.

Pizarro thought that the island of Pune might be a suitable base for them. The inhabitants of Pune were at enmity with Tumbes, who lay only thirty miles away. The island was large and wooded, and there was no danger of a sudden attack. Pizarro set up camp and waited for reinforcements. During the campaign to the south, two ships joined him. The first brought the royal treasurer and other officials who did not have time to join the expedition when it sailed from Seville. The second - 30 soldiers under the command of Captain Benalcazar.

Indians arrived from Tumbes, and although Pizarro knew that they were sworn enemies of the inhabitants of Poona, he received them at his headquarters. And then, when two of his interpreters warned Pizarro that the leaders of Pune had gathered in council and were preparing an attack, he immediately surrounded them at the meeting place and handed them over to the inhabitants of Tumbes. The result was a massacre that led to the rebellion he had tried so hard to prevent. Several thousand Poona warriors attacked the camp, and the Spaniards had to seek refuge in the forest. The losses were comparatively small: a few were killed, Hernando Pizarro's brother was wounded in the leg by a dart. But the Indians continued to attack the camp.

When two more ships arrived with a hundred volunteers and horses (the ships were commanded by Hernando de Soto), Pizarro felt that he had enough strength to move to the mainland. The weak resistance of the Tumbes was quickly crushed by the cavalry of Hernando Pizarro. The main detachment of the Spaniards crossed the bay in two ships.

At last they entered Tumbes, the city where, legend had it, the Maidens of the Sun King lived, where golden fruits hung in gardens, and where temples were lined with gold and silver. However, a bitter disappointment awaited them: the city of Tumbes in the Gulf of Guayaquil, described as prosperous four years earlier, lay in ruins, and its population died of smallpox. The same insidious disease claimed, in all likelihood, the life of the Supreme Inca Huayna Capaca, around 1530. Nothing remained of the city except for a fortress, a temple and a few buildings. Men who had sailed seven hundred miles and then marched another three hundred through dreadful marshes, through rhizophora thickets and jungles, constantly reassuring themselves with visions of a golden city, were shocked when the wretched ruins appeared before their eyes.

Pizarro lost the opportunity to get rich quickly, but, as it turned out, he got something much more - the key to conquering the country. The territory was fragmented and could again submit to one ruler. This Pizarro found out when he asked about the reasons for such a deplorable state of the city. Its destruction was the work of the islanders from Poona. According to the Peruvians, the Sun King - Inca Huascar, was too busy fighting with his brother Atahualpa to provide the city with the necessary assistance. He even recalled his soldiers from the fortress.

The struggle for power ended shortly before Pizarro's landing in Tumbes Atahualpa won, and his army captured Huascar. The usurper from Quito became the Inca (supreme ruler), but the inhabitants of Tumbes and other areas did not approve of the change of ruler. The Inca Empire was fragmented, which Pizarro took advantage of.

Leaving part of the detachment in Tumbes, he went with the best soldiers into the interior of the country in order to win over the native population to his side. Francisco used the policy of Cortes. Robbery was prohibited. Dominican monks converted the Indians to Christianity. The campaign turned into a crusade, and the soldiers got a sense of their divine destiny. The thirst for gold did not decrease, but now she was dressed in the mantle of Christ's truth.

Pizarro led his people from one village to another, so that they had neither time nor energy to think about the future. Indian chiefs who resisted were burned alive as a warning to others, and soon the whole district was subdued. Here, for the first time, the conquerors began to recruit the population into auxiliary troops, and although there is no mention of Indian allies in Spanish sources, there is little doubt that Pizarro tried to strengthen his small detachment at the expense of local residents.

In June he established a settlement on the Chira River, about 80 miles south of Tumbes. The settlement was built according to the usual colonial pattern: a church, an arsenal and a courthouse. However, despite the fact that there was a legally appointed city government in San Miguel, Pizarro exercised his powers from Spain. This gave him the opportunity to allocate land to every colonist, and since the Indians were accustomed to the cane discipline imposed by their own rulers, they did not grumble. The Spaniards melted all the mined gold and silver into ingots, and Pizarro managed to persuade the soldiers to give up their share. Therefore, after deducting the royal share, a fifth, he was able to send the treasure on two ships to Panama, paying the expedition's bills.

Treasures, of course, will confirm the stories of the captains about the brilliant opportunities that open up to the settlers in New Castile. But Pizarro could not decide whether he should wait for reinforcements or go on a campaign right away? For three weeks he pondered until he discovered that inaction breeds discontent. Most likely, it was the mood of the soldiers that played a decisive role: Pizarro decided to speak. Moreover, Atahualpa left the Inca capital of Cusco and was now in Cajamarca. Cuzco was about 1,300 miles from San Miguel, so that Pizarro and his people, laden with their belongings, could have covered that distance in a few weeks along the roads paved by the Incas. Cajamarca was only about 350 miles away, at an altitude of 9,000 feet. The road, according to allied Indians, was supposed to take no more than 12 days. Pizarro did not want to miss the opportunity to quickly get to the ruler of the Incas.

On September 24, 1532, about six months after his first landing on the coast, Pizarro set out from the small settlement. The detachment consisted of foot soldiers (but only 20 of them were armed with crossbows or arquebuses) and 67 horsemen. It was a miserable army, unable to resist the Incas. Atahualpa was reported to have been treated at the volcanic springs of Cajamarca (a wound received during an internecine war against his own brother festered). In addition, he made a detour of his new possessions, seeking their complete submission. He was accompanied by an army numbering, according to some estimates, from forty to fifty thousand warriors.

A murmur began in the ranks of the Spaniards. Some of the soldiers were losing their presence of mind. By the end of the fourth day, Pizarro stopped to prepare for battle. He approached the detachment with a proposal: anyone who does not support the enterprise can return to San Miguel and receive the same allotment of land and as many Indians as any soldier in the garrison. But only nine people wished to return to the "base". Probably, not only the calls of Pizarro, but also the environment forced the others to continue on their way. By then they must have been well beyond Tambo Grande, on the main Inca road leading out of Tumbes.

In November 1532, Francisco Pizarro made a very bold decision that determined his future fate. The main royal road of the Incas between Quito and Cuzco ran through the Andes valleys, and Pizarro learned that the victorious Inca Atahualpa was going south along it to be crowned in Cuzco. The Spaniards were shocked by the awesome grandeur of the Indian army. But Pizarro, with his eloquence, breathed new strength into the soldiers, promising them rich booty. His words remained in the chronicles: "There is no difference between big and small, between foot and horse ... On that day, everyone was a knight."

Pizarro associated his only hope with a desperately daring plan - to try to surprise the thousands of Inca army. Atahualpa's army was on the move by the middle of the day. But his exit was preceded by a solemn parade. All the Indians wore large gold and silver ornaments on their heads, similar to crowns. The chanting began.

Only towards the end of the day the advanced parts of this magnificent procession entered the central square of Cajamarca. Atahualpa was carried by the warriors on a stretcher covered with silver. On his head was a golden crown, and around his neck was a necklace of large emeralds. The Inca ordered the porters to stop while the rest of the warriors continued to fill the square.

Pizarro, calm and determined, gave the signal for battle. The gunner raised the wick to the barrel of the cannon. Riders and foot soldiers, to the sound of war horns, broke out of their shelters with cries. Panic began among the Indians, the attacking Spaniards mowed them to the right and left. The Incas were not armed, in the crush that had begun, they could not recover for a long time, they interfered with each other, and the conquistadors, with their sharply honed peaks, let out rivers of blood.

The massacre continued in the valley. In two hours six or seven thousand Indians lay dead. Each Spaniard killed approximately 15 Indians. In a report to the king, Pizarro's secretary wrote that he and his people had done the unbelievable: they had captured a powerful lord with small forces. Drenched in the blood of the Incas, the conquistadors hardly understood what they were doing. One of the participants in this massacre later said that it was not done by them, because there were too few of them, but by the will of God.

Player Pizarro broke the bank. Capturing the god-like Inca, he paralyzed life throughout the empire.

The tragedy of the Incas was that their ruler did not understand that these 160 foreign soldiers were not just robbers, but heralds of the coming colonial invasion. He considered them just greedy treasure seekers. And Pizarro supported this delusion. Noticing an insatiable thirst for gold among his captors, Atahualpa decided to buy his freedom. For her, he offered to fill the cell where he was kept with gold to a height of 10.5 Spanish feet (294 centimeters). And give double, against gold, the amount of silver. In addition, he promised that these treasures would be delivered to Cajamarca within 60 days from the date of the agreement, and Atahualpa kept his word: caravans of lamas rushed to Cajamarca, delivering gold from different parts of the empire. The order of the supreme ruler, even if captured, but for the Incas still remained the Sun King, was carried out unquestioningly. All the wealth of the state, found and not found, was considered the property of the Inca.

By the middle of 1533 the ransom had been collected. The room was filled with fabulously beautiful gold items. Many of them were of considerable artistic value, but for the Spaniards it was only expensive metal, and everything was melted down into ingots. A fifth of them were sent to the king of Spain, the rest was divided among the conquistadors, most of the gold went, of course, to Pizarro. And despite this, Atahualpa was executed.

Spanish authorities in Panama condemned the execution. They believed that Atahualpa should have been taken to Central America or Spain. King Carlos also wrote to Pizarro about his dissatisfaction with a violent death: Atahualpa was still a monarch, and his execution undermined faith in the divine origin of power.

So, the conquest of Peru began with the capture and execution of its master, the battles followed later. During the 800-mile march along the Great Inca Road from Cajamarca to Cuzco, Pizarro's detachment fought four battles against Atahualpa's army. The Incas fought bravely and a number of the invaders were killed. But still they could not resist the weapons and tactics of the Spaniards. The great tactical advantage of the conquistadors was their horse warriors - before the arrival of Europeans, horses were not seen in America. The Incas thought more about how to kill one such animal that pursued them than ten foot soldiers. And for almost every Spaniard killed, there were hundreds of Incas killed.

November 15, 1533 Pizarro came for the main prize - he set foot in the Inca capital of Cusco. To consolidate the conquered, Pizarro elevated one of the surviving sons of Huayn Capaca - Manco, he was crowned in early 1534. The conquistadors hoped that the new Inca would become a puppet in their hands and would help the Spaniards in enslaving their people.

Pizarro had no experience in government at all. The age and hardships experienced made themselves felt. To force the Spaniards to stay in this distant country, he gave each officer a thousand Indians as a reward. Pizarro ordered the priest of Cuzco to protect the interests of the Indians, and also issued a decree providing for punishment for the Spaniards for desecration of the natives. But this did not help much, the Indians were dying out catastrophically quickly. It fell into decay, as well as the irrigation economy, and the terraced agriculture of the Incas.

Pizarro saw his main task in building cities for the Spaniards. He founded seven of them - and all seven have survived to this day. It was decided to locate the capital on the coast, in order to maintain maritime links with the rest of Spanish America. The city appeared in 1535 on the banks of the Rimac River and was originally called Ciudad de los Reyes - "the city of kings". However, a not so pretentious name has been preserved, but a distorted toponym of the river itself - Lima.

On the slope of his life, Pizarro was engaged in laying streets in cities, giving away houses to his friends. The Indians also built his personal residence in the Spanish style, with a patio - an inner courtyard planted with imported olive and orange trees.

But the quiet time did not last long. The younger Pizarro brothers and other Spaniards in Cuzco violated the treaty and insulted the puppet ruler Manco. Enraged, he secretly mobilized his army and prepared weapons. In April 1536, Mano disappeared from Cuzco and called his leaders to a meeting where they vowed to expel the hated conquerors from Peru. And already in May, 190 Spaniards in Cuzco were surrounded by Indians.

Manco's rebellion continued until December. Four expeditions sent by Pizarro in support of his brothers were defeated in the mountains, still on the approaches to Cuzco. About 500 Spaniards were killed. And yet the Peruvians failed to liberate their country. Reinforcement ships arrived from Central America and the blockade of Cuzco was broken. Manco fled to the Amazonian jungle, to the sacred city of Machu Picchu, where he ruled the remnants of his empire with his three sons for 35 years.

But even greater difficulties than with the Indians experienced Pizarro with his old colleague and even once friend Diego de Almagro. He always organized the supply and replenished Pizarro's expedition with people. And he was cruelly wounded by the fact that the king appointed him only the governor of Peru. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Almagro accused Pizarro of conferring all the titles.

Then Pizarro made a diplomatic move to Almagro, as a reward for diligence, land was provided in southern Peru, but when Diego arrived there, he was disappointed - there was nothing to profit from. He did not know that Potosi was located on the territory subject to him, where later the Spaniards would discover the richest silver deposits in the world. Almagro laid claim to Cuzco. The fights between the Spaniards were not long in coming, and they were no less fierce than the battles with the Indians.

The civil strife ended in Cusco in 1538, when Almagro was defeated by Pizarro's brother - Hernando The furious and bloodthirsty Hernando executed 120 people, and killed Almagro himself as a traitor. But that was his mistake. Returning to Spain, he was imprisoned for this act of revenge.

Having defeated Manco and Almagro, Pizarro finally established himself in the new city of Lima. He fixed up his house, tended his garden, walked the streets visiting old soldiers, wore an old-fashioned black robe with a red knight's cross on his chest, cheap buckskin shoes, and a hat. The only expensive thing he had was a fur coat made of marten fur, sent by his cousin Cortez.

But the execution of Almagro brought retribution. A handful of his supporters in Lima felt the bitterness of defeat and poverty. There is a legend that they had only one hat at all, therefore, like real Spanish hidalgos, they could only appear on the streets one at a time. They became allies of the young son of Almagro. They were united by their hatred of Pizarro, and they decided to kill him. Information about the impending conspiracy reached the governor, but he did not pay attention to the warnings.

On Sunday morning, July 26, 1541, Pizarro was receiving guests in his palace when 20 people burst into the house with swords, spears, daggers and muskets. The guests fled, some jumped right out of the windows. 63-year-old Pizarro defended himself in the bedroom with a sword and dagger. He fought desperately, killed one of the attackers, but the forces were unequal, and soon he fell dead from the many wounds inflicted.

The place where he was killed in the presidential palace is now covered with marble slabs There is a cathedral in Armas Square in Lima, also associated with the name of Pizarro In 1977, during the repair work of the cathedral, fobs and a lead box were found in the brickwork of the vaults A skull was found in it and the hilt of the sword The outside was engraved with the inscription "This is the head of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, who discovered and conquered the Peruvian Empire, placing it under the rule of the King of Castile."

Spanish conquistador. In 1 "513-1" 53 "5 he participated in the conquest of Peru. Defeated and destroyed the state of the Incas Tahuantinsuyu, founded seven cities, including Lima. In 1535 he was granted the title of Marquis. Killed in Lima.

Francisco Pizarro was born in Trujillo, in the province of Extremadura, 150 kilometers southwest of Madrid.

Francisco was the illegitimate son of Don Gonzalo Pizarro, nicknamed the Tall, an excellent soldier who received a noble title for his bravery in battles against the Moors. His mother, Francisco Gonzalez, was the daughter of a commoner. The boy was never taught to read, he played with his peers in the vicinity of Trujillo, sometimes looking after sheep or pigs. From early youth he yearned for adventure.

Pizarro was about 35 years old when he took part in the famous crossing of Panama with Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Thanks to this, the Pacific Ocean was included in the Spanish possessions. This was the beginning of the "valiant Campaign for the Grand Prix", as the conquests of the Spaniards in South America were later called. In 1519, the city of Panama was founded, and Pizarro became one of its first inhabitants. He got his share of the land that the Indians worked on. And even became a governor. When he was well into his forties, he became wealthy and gained honor and respect, although most people in his position would have preferred a rest after a turbulent and adversity-filled life.

In the 16th century, over 200,000 Spaniards crossed the Atlantic. Not only the nobles, who were hungry for glory, wanted to try their luck: among the emigrants were unsuccessful merchants, and impoverished artisans, and wandering monks - the latter described the adventures of adventurers on the pages of chronicles. What made Pizarro venture on a desperate journey along the coast of South America, play with fate, expose life and health to new trials, pursuing an illusory dream? Many of Pizarro's biographers attribute this sense of adventure to his nature as a born gamer. In his later years, he loved to play dice, skittles, pelota (Basque ball game). At the same time, he was a balanced and prudent person. He had only two passions: fighting and searching. And more than rest, he craved fame.

Pizarro was neither a diplomat nor a great commander, but distinguished by courage and determination, as evidenced by the first actions of Pizarro in the rank of commander of the expedition. Captain Ruiz sailed along the coast directly to Tumbes, but two weeks later storms, headwinds and currents forced him to take refuge in St. Matthew's Bay. The Spaniards were 350 miles from Tumbes, and yet Pizarro went ashore and set off on foot south. The ships caught up with him, following along the coast. After spending thirteen days cramped aboard three small ships struggling with wind and bad weather, the soldiers were exhausted.

Despite this, Pizarro, after a difficult passage through the full-flowing rivers of the Coakwe region, raided a small city. The Spaniards were lucky: they stole 20,000 pesos worth of gold and silver, mostly in the form of crude jewelry. Emeralds were also found in the city, but only a few, including Pizarro and the Dominican friar Father Reginaldo de Pedraza, knew their true value. Pizarro traded this relatively small booty for an opportunity to surprise the Indians. He loaded the treasures on ships and sent them to Panama, in the expectation that, upon seeing them, the rest of the conquistadors would join him. He then resumed his advance south.

Pizarro lost the opportunity to get rich quickly, but, as it turned out, he received something much more - the key to conquering the country. The territory was fragmented and could again submit to one ruler. This Pizarro found out when he asked about the reasons for such a deplorable state of the city. Its destruction was the work of the islanders from Poona. According to the Peruvians, the Sun King, Inca Huascar, was too busy fighting his brother Atahualpa to provide the city with the necessary assistance. He even recalled his warriors from the fortress.

The power struggle ended shortly before Pizarro's landing at Tumbes. Atahualpa won, and Huascar was captured by his army. The usurper from Quito became In-koy (supreme ruler), but the inhabitants of Tumbes and other regions did not approve of the change of ruler. The Inca Empire was fragmented, which Pizarro took advantage of.

On September 24, 1532, about six months after his first landing on the coast, Pizarro set out from the small settlement. The detachment consisted of 110 infantrymen (but only 20 of them were armed with crossbows or arquebuses) and 67 horsemen. It was a miserable army, unable to resist the Incas. Atahualpa was reported to have been treated at the volcanic springs of Cajamarca (a wound received during an internecine war against his own brother festered). In addition, he made a detour of his new possessions, seeking their complete submission. He was accompanied by an army numbering, according to some estimates, from forty to fifty thousand warriors.

Having crossed the Chira River on rafts, the Spaniards spent the night in the Indian settlement of Poechos and went south to the Piura River. Here they turned to the east, inland, following the channel of the Pyura. A murmur began in the ranks of the Spaniards. Some of the soldiers were losing their presence of mind. By the end of the fourth day, Pizarro stopped to prepare for battle. He approached the detachment with a proposal: anyone who does not support the enterprise can return to San Miguel and receive the same allotment of land and as many Indians as any soldier in the garrison. But only nine people wished to return to the "base". Probably, not only the calls of Pizarro, but also the environment forced the others to continue on their way. By then they must have been well beyond Tambo Grande, on the main Inca road leading out of Tumbes.

In November 1532, Francisco Pizarro made a very bold decision that determined his future fate. The main royal road of the Incas between Quito and Cuzco ran through the Andes valleys, and Pizarro learned that the victorious Inca Atahualpa was going south along it to be crowned in Cuzco. The Spaniards were shocked by the awesome grandeur of the Indian army. But Pizarro, with his eloquence, breathed new strength into the soldiers, promising them rich booty. His words remained in the chronicles: "There is no difference between big and small," between foot and horse ... On that day, everyone was a knight.

Pizarro, calm and determined, gave the signal for battle. The gunner raised the wick to the barrel of the cannon. Riders and foot soldiers, to the sound of war horns, broke out of their shelters with cries. Panic began among the Indians, the attacking Spaniards mowed them to the right and left. The Incas were not armed, in the crush that had begun, they could not recover for a long time, interfered with each other, and the conquistadors, with their sharply honed peaks, let out rivers of blood.

Pizarro was a bad rider, so he fought on foot, with a sword and a dagger. Making his way through the crowd to Atahualpa's litter, he grabbed Inca by the arm and tried to pull him down. Many Indians had their hands cut off, but they continued to hold the throne on their shoulders. In the end, they all died on the battlefield. The riders who arrived in time overturned the stretcher, and Atahualpa was captured. The massacre continued in the valley. In two hours six or seven thousand Indians lay dead. Each Spaniard killed approximately 15 Indians. In a report to the king, Pizarro's secretary wrote that he and his people had done the unbelievable: they had captured a powerful lord with small forces. Drenched in the blood of the Incas, the conquistadors hardly understood what they were doing. One of the participants in this massacre later said that it was not done by them, because there were too few of them, but by the will of God.

Player Pizarro broke the bank. Capturing the god-like Inca, he paralyzed life throughout the empire. The tragedy of the Incas was that their ruler did not understand that these 160 foreign soldiers were not just robbers, but heralds of the coming colonial invasion. He considered them just greedy treasure seekers. And Pizarro supported this delusion. Noticing an insatiable thirst for gold among his captors, Atahualpa decided to buy his freedom. For her, he offered to fill the cell where he was kept with gold to a height of 10.5 Spanish feet (294 centimeters). And give double, against gold, the amount of silver. In addition, he promised that these treasures would be delivered to Cajamarca within 60 days from the date of the agreement. And Atahualpa kept his word: caravans of lamas rushed to Cajamarca, bringing gold from different parts of the empire. The order of the supreme ruler, even if captured, but for the Incas still remained the Sun King, was carried out unquestioningly. All the wealth of the state, found and not found, was considered the property of the Inca.

But the Spaniards treacherously violated this treaty. Atahualpa remained Pizarro's hostage for 8 months. At this time, however, he continued to fulfill the duties of the ruler of the empire, issue decrees, send messengers. He ordered the leaders not to interfere with the Spaniards, who penetrated into remote corners of the country and robbed temples. By accommodating, he hoped to buy freedom. By the middle of 1533 the ransom had been collected. The room was filled with fabulously beautiful gold items. Many of them were of considerable artistic value, but for the Spaniards it was only expensive metal, and everything was melted down into ingots. A fifth of them were sent to the king of Spain, the rest was divided among the conquistadors, most of the gold went, of course, to Pizarro. And despite this, Atahualpa was executed.

Atahualpa was still a monarch, and his execution undermined faith in the divine origin of power. So, the conquest of Peru began with the capture and execution of its master, the battles followed later. During the 800-mile march along the Great Inca Road from Cajamarca to Cuzco, Pizarro's detachment fought four battles against Atahualpa's army. The Incas fought bravely and a number of the invaders were killed. But still they could not resist the weapons and tactics of the Spaniards. The great tactical advantage of the conquistadors was their horse warriors - before the arrival of Europeans, horses were not seen in America. The Incas thought more about how to kill one such animal that pursued them than ten foot soldiers. And for almost every Spaniard killed, there were hundreds of Incas killed.

November 15, 1533 Pizarro came for the main prize - he set foot in the Inca capital of Cusco. To consolidate the conquered, Pizarro elevated one of the surviving sons of Huayn Capaki - Manco, he was crowned in early 1534. The conquistadors hoped that the new Inca would become a puppet in their hands and assist the Spaniards in enslaving their people.

When Pizarro was already well over fifty, he essentially became the ruler, or rather, the robber of a huge country. The treasures of Cuzco were captured, melted down and distributed among the conquerors. There was even more gold and silver than from the ransom of Atahualpa. Pizarro had no experience in government at all. The age and hardships experienced made themselves felt. To force the Spaniards to stay in this distant country, he gave each officer a thousand Indians as a reward. Pizarro ordered the priest of Cuzco to protect the interests of the Indians, and also issued a decree providing for punishment for the Spaniards for desecration of the natives. But this did not help much, the Indians were dying out catastrophically quickly. It fell into decay, as well as the irrigation economy, and the terraced agriculture of the Incas.

Pizarro saw his main task in building cities for the Spaniards. He founded seven of them - and all seven have survived to this day. The capital was decided to be located on the coast, in order to maintain maritime links with the rest of Spanish America. The city appeared in 1535 on the banks of the Rimac River and was originally called Ciudad de los Reyes - "the city of kings". However, a not so pretentious name has been preserved, but a distorted toponym of the river itself - Lima.

But the quiet time did not last long. The younger brothers Pizarro and Other Spaniards in Cuzco violated the treaty and insulted the puppet ruler Manco. Enraged, he secretly mobilized his army and prepared weapons. In April 1536, Mano disappeared from Cuzco and called his leaders to a meeting where they vowed to expel the hated conquerors from Peru. And already in May, 190 Spaniards in Cuzco were surrounded by Indians.

Then Pizarro made a diplomatic move: Almagro was given land in the south of Peru as a reward for diligence, but when Diego arrived there, he was disappointed - there was nothing to profit from. He did not know that Potosi was located on the territory subject to him, where later the Spaniards would discover the richest silver deposits in the world. Almagro laid claim to Cuzco. The fights between the Spaniards were not long in coming, and they were no less fierce than the battles with the Indians.

Civil strife ended in Cuzco in 1538, when Almagro was defeated by Pizarro's brother Hernando. Furious and bloodthirsty Hernando executed 120 people, and killed Almagro himself as a traitor. But that was his mistake. Returning to Spain, he was imprisoned for this act of revenge.

Pizarro loved to play with his four young sons, although he never married their Indian mother or any other woman. He was indifferent to good wines, food, horses. Aged and unspeakably rich, this most successful of all the conquistadors, it seemed, simply did not know what to do with the wealth that suddenly fell on him. He made several wills. His main concern was to continue the family tree and glorify the name of Pizarro. He ordered all his heirs, both male and female, to bear this surname. But the execution of Almagro brought retribution. A handful of his supporters in Lima felt the bitterness of defeat and poverty. There is a legend that they had only one hat at all, therefore, like real Spanish hidalgos, they could only appear on the streets one at a time. They became allies of the young son Almagro. They were united by their hatred of Pizarro, and they decided to kill him. Information about the impending conspiracy reached the governor, but he did not pay attention to the warnings.

The place where he was killed in the presidential palace is now covered with marble slabs. On Armas Square in Lima there is a cathedral, also associated with the name of Pizarro. In 1977, during the repair work of the cathedral, coffins and a lead box were found in the brickwork of the vaults. It contained a skull and a sword hilt. The inscription was engraved outside: "This is the head of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, who discovered and conquered the Peruvian Empire, placing it under the rule of the King of Castile."

Lake Titicaca is located in the Central Andes at an altitude of 3810 meters above sea level. This is the largest lake in South America. Its area is 8300 square kilometers, and it ranks 18th in size among the largest lakes in the world. The depth of the waters is more than a hundred meters, and in some places reaches 300 meters. It was here, on the banks of a huge and deep reservoir, that in the days of fabulous antiquity there was one of the centers of highly developed civilizations of mankind.

Around it, habitable lands were bounded to the east by the impenetrable jungles of the Amazon Basin, and to the west by the boundless waters of the Pacific Ocean. Ancient people densely populated the narrow western strip of the continent, which began at the borders of modern Ecuador and ended in the central regions of Chile.

In the first millennium BC, civilizations such as Chavin, San Augustin and Paracas existed here. The latter has chosen for itself the coastal region of the Andes (the southern coast of modern Peru) and the Paracas Peninsula (sandy rain).

The main attraction of this people, which has come down to our times, are the necropolises. They consist of spacious burial chambers; they contain many mummies. The dead, wrapped in several layers of fabric, decorated with rich ornaments, are in a sitting position. The knees rest on the chins, the arms are crossed on the chest.

What is of particular interest is that some of the mummies have deformed, egg-shaped skulls and show signs of trepanation. It's hard to believe, but the facts are a stubborn thing: once, more than two thousand years ago, the ancient Aesculapius successfully performed operations on the brain. This is confirmed by the partial replacement of the bones of the cranium with gold plates.

The Paracas civilization sank into obscurity in the second century BC. Its traces have been lost in the endless stream of time, but there are a number of testimonies that cast a faint light on the fate of this mysterious people. These testimonies indicate that the descendants of those ancient Aesculapius did not disappear from the earth, but continue to live, skillfully applying invaluable medical knowledge in practice.

But before considering this interesting question, it is necessary to get acquainted with the historical events that took place in the period from the 13th to the 16th century in the western lands of South America.

History of the Inca Empire

Nine hundred years ago, the Sun God Inti, who oversaw the above-mentioned territory, took care of the poor living conditions of people. To cheer up mere mortals, instill confidence in them and make them feel the joy of life, he sent his son to them Manco Capacu and beloved daughter Mama Oaklew.

The master's instructions were short and to the point. He gave the children a staff of pure gold and ordered them to settle on those lands where this expensive product would enter the soil.

Divine offspring exactly fulfilled the will of their father. They roamed the mountainous terrain for a long time, testing it for strength. The stony earth did not want to accept the precious metal, and the children were already beginning to despair. But here they were in the Cuzco Valley, near the village of Pacara-Tambo, at the foot of the Wanakauri hill. And here a miracle happened: the staff easily entered the hard, like granite, soil. The son and daughter looked at each other happily and founded a settlement on this place, which they named Cusco.

People who lived in the area the Incas praised Manco Capac and Mama Oclew, recognized them as his rulers and began to call his country Tahuantinsuyu(land of four parts).

Years passed. Cusco gradually turned into a large and beautiful city. It was located at an altitude of 3416 meters above sea level and was surrounded by two mountain ranges.

In parallel with the construction of their capital, the people, who received the support of the gods, waged aggressive wars. At first, he fought for a long time with the Sora and Rukan tribes, who lived in the western lands adjacent to the Cuzco valley. Having conquered these tribes, the conquerors significantly expanded their borders and began to prepare for further military expansions.

A very strong and brave people of Chunk turned out to be a serious opponent. The war with him was long, difficult and cruel. Only by the middle of the 15th century did the Incas succeed in defeating their main enemy. At this time, their ruler was Pachacutec, the son of the legendary Manco Capacu.

At the beginning of the second half of the 15th century, the descendants of divine offspring subjugate all the tribes living in the basin of Lake Titicaca. These conquests are not limited. Military expansion continues, and by the end of the 15th century, the conquered territory expands to enormous proportions. This is already an empire, whose possessions stretch from the southern border of modern Colombia to the central regions of Chile and Argentina.

State structure of the empire

A large state needs competent administrative management. The conquerors divided all the conquered lands into four provinces: Kuntisuyu, Kolyasuyu, Antisuyu and Chinchasuyu. In the center of Cusco was Huakapata Square. From it, in different directions, four roads leading to these administrative formations of the empire diverged.

The Incas loved and knew how to build roads. They made them wide with an even coating. The longest stretched for 5250 kilometers and had a width of 7.5 meters. True, the Indians did not know the wheel, so they moved along such highways on foot; the cargo was carried on oneself or transported on llamas.

The great conquerors did not speak any written language, but despite this, the state post office worked perfectly. Numerous messengers constantly hurried to different parts of the empire and transmitted decrees and resolutions through "knot letters" or orally.

The Incas were well developed: agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts. There was no single monetary standard. The process of buying and selling took place between the seller and the buyer at numerous fairs through the exchange of goods. Such fairs, as a rule, were held in cities at least once every ten days.

The conspicuous division of society into rich and poor did not exist. Everyone's standard of living was about the same. The main part of the population lived in tribal communities - ailyu. A separate family had a land allotment - topu. Each member of society carried a labor service - a mit. Important issues of social life were decided at general meetings - kamachiko.

When a man reached the age of 18, he was taken to the military or courier service. Her term lasted 7 years. Every inhabitant of the country had to go through this. Then, after the end of the seven-year term, the man became purehi. So called people who worked for public needs and paid taxes. After 50 years, a person moved to another age category and was engaged in raising children.

In a great empire, any inhabitant could reach a high position in society. The main thing was not origin, but service to the empire. An experienced warrior or a talented speaker enjoyed universal respect and reverence, regardless of who his parents were.

The supreme power in the country was inherited. The one who ascended the throne received the prefix "Inca" to his name. In a narrow sense, it meant the title of the ruler, as in Europe the king or emperor. The Incas were also called full-fledged members of the Cusco community, who were descendants of an ancient tribe that recognized the power of the children of the Sun God Inti. They seemed to be considered "Incas by blood."

Representatives of other tribes that inhabited the empire could also receive the corresponding title for special services to the state. In this case, it was inherited by the whole family, and its members were considered "Inca by privilege."

The last years of the empire

In 1525, the supreme leader of the empire, Huayna Capacu, dies. He divides the state into two parts between his sons. One will be inherited by Atahualpa, the other by Huáscar.

The capital of Cuzco goes to Huascar, and he rightfully acquires the supreme title of the Inca. But the second brother does not agree with the will of his father. An internecine war begins.

It ends only in 1531 with the defeat of Huascar. He is captured and sent to a high mountain village, where he must live as a prisoner until his death. All power passes to Atahualpa. The situation in the empire is stabilizing.

But the new year 1532 makes its own adjustments to a more or less settled life after the great strife. On the lands of the empire appear Spanish conquistadors. 110 foot soldiers and 67 horsemen are disembarked from a sailing ship to conquer a land that contains as much gold as sand in the desert.

History of Francisco Pizarro

He commands a Spanish military detachment (1475-1541) - a powerful, cruel, ruthless man. Adventurer to the marrow of bones, without principles and ideals. He has one goal - gold.

Francisco
Pizarro

He was born in Spain, becoming a sad consequence of the sinful relationship of a loving Castilian nobleman, Captain Gonzalo Pizarro and a frivolous peasant woman. The parents cursed their daughter, but they raised the child. Having become a mature young man, he entered the royal military service. But in the lands of the Old World on the battlefield he did not show himself in any way and already at an advanced age (by the standards of the 16th century) he left for Panama.

The life of a colonist, the future merciless conqueror of the Indians, began in 1519. From the general mass of hunters for luck, he did not stand out in any way. He lived quietly and inconspicuously. Few people paid attention to him: an elderly man, limited in means, without serious connections and opportunities.

One autumn day he goes hunting and suddenly disappears. His disappearance did not excite anyone, and the appearance alive and healthy three months later did not cause either joy or surprise among those around him.

But after a few days, everyone notices that it is not clear where the person who has been absent for a long time has changed dramatically. He becomes energetic and eloquent, easy to communicate and charming, shows brilliant abilities in learning foreign languages. Causing universal disposition, he makes many friends, and in just a few months he is elected mayor of the city in which he lives.

Very soon, Francisco Pizarro establishes friendly relations with the governor of Panama and his entourage. He charms ladies, evokes sympathy in men. The doors of the wealthiest houses in the colony open wide before him. But our hero understands: he is no longer young and it is too late to make a brilliant career.

Soon he meets the inveterate adventurer Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luca, greedy to the marrow of his bones. These two rave about gold, which lies in incredible quantities in the temples and palaces of Indian cities located far to the south.

Using his gift of persuasion and charm, skillfully playing on base feelings, our hero persuades the governor to equip a military expedition to the lands of modern Colombia. Here, according to him, there are many rich cities of the redskins, stuffed with gold.

In 1524, the governor gives the go-ahead, and Pizarro becomes the head of his first military expedition. It ends in complete failure after 12 months.

But failure does not discourage the illegitimate Spaniard. On the contrary, she inspires him to new attempts to get rich quick and take the appropriate place in high society.

In 1526, the second military expedition sets off to the lands of modern Ecuador. It lasts more than two years and does not bring a single peso. But instead of a despicable metal, a cunning and dexterous adventurer receives very important information, which is worth no less in value than a chest of gold.

The locals tell him about the fabulously rich country. It lies far to the south in the mountains. There is a lot of gold in those lands, it just lies underfoot. Our hero understands - this is his last chance. At the same time, he does not want to share fame and fortune with the governor of Panama.

In 1530, Francisco Pizarro leaves the New World. A high-speed sailboat delivers him to the lands of Spain. Here, with amazing ease, he achieves an audience with King Charles V.

It is not known what the adventurer talked about with the crowned lady, but he returns back as a captain-general, adelantade, and his cloak adorns the family coat of arms of the marquis. In his hand he victoriously squeezes the letter signed by His Majesty. It speaks of the right given to him to the governorship over all the lands lying 1000 miles south of Panama.

The newly-made governor does not waste time in vain and equips the third military expedition in 1531. A few months later, he lands on the lands of Tahuantinsuyu. The Inca Empire in all its glory lies before him.

Decline of the Inca Empire

High Chief Atahualpa learns very quickly about the pale-faced strangers. He tells his scouts to find out everything about these strange aliens, but the thing is that the Indians have never seen horses in their eyes. Hence, the reports of the latter differ, causing bewilderment and confusion at the court.

So some scouts claim that beings with four legs and two heads are leading the aliens. They sleep standing up, see at night as during the day, and instead of words they make strange loud sounds.

Others say that unknown creatures on four legs have two parts that can separate from each other and walk on their own. The bottom part is the main one. The upper one serves only to collect fruits that grow on trees.

The detachment led by Francisco Pizarro meets no resistance from the locals. Horror and fear run before the Spanish conquistadors. Cities and villages on the path of fortune hunters are empty. The population hastily leaves them, leaving their homes and acquired property to the mercy of fate.

The detachment is located in the city center. The soldiers are tired after a long march, they need rest. But the ambitious commander is impatient. He insists on a further march to the Indian capital of Cuzco.

A military council is assembled, which continues until late at night. So without making an unambiguous decision, the conquistadors disperse, deciding to continue the debate with a fresh mind. But the morning dawn makes its own adjustments to the strategic plans of the conquerors.

A small detachment of Spaniards is surrounded. A huge 40,000-strong Inca army filled all the surrounding streets, cutting off the conquistadors from the outside world.

Long negotiations begin. Pizarro uses all his intelligence, eloquence, insight and, in the end, arranges a meeting with the supreme leader of the land of Tahuantinsuyu.

November 16, 1532 Atahualpa, surrounded by a large retinue, is on the square of the city of Cajamarco. Under the terms of the treaty, the Indians are unarmed.

Our hero approaches the supreme leader, and they talk face to face for a while. From the outside it seems that the conversation is very friendly and warm. The people accompanying Atahualpa relax, lose their vigilance.

Suddenly, the conquistadors rush at the unarmed Indians. A terrible massacre begins. The whole retinue perishes, no one is left alive. The lord of the empire himself is declared a prisoner of the Spanish king.

For his release, the Spaniards demand heaps of gold and silver. The subjects of the supreme leader collect the required amount of precious metals and bring them by conquistador. But Atahualpa is not released. On August 29, 1533, he was treacherously killed, and on November 15, the invaders entered the city of Cusco.

The Spaniards seize power, but are not able to manage a huge state. They do not know the customs of this land and understand that they will not be able to keep the people in obedience.

Pizarro appoints Huascar Capac, the brother of the slain, as supreme leader. The adventurer hopes that he has found a worthy assistant, but then his intuition fails him.

Huascar Capacu raises an uprising and in 1536 besieges Cuzco. The siege lasts six months, but the Incas, unaccustomed to such a war, begin to scatter. The rebel leader is forced to retreat to the mountains.

Here, in an area inaccessible to the conquistadors, he creates the Novoinsky kingdom. It becomes the center of the struggle for independence, which continues for many more years. Only after the assassination of Huascar Capacu in 1572 did the rebels stop resisting and recognize the authority of the Spanish crown.

The further fate of our hero develops as follows. He becomes the royal governor, concentrates in his hands enormous power and wealth. In 1535, by his decree, the city of Lima was founded. It seems that the ambitious Spaniard has achieved everything he dreamed of.

But in 1540 a strange metamorphosis takes place with him. From a tough, strong-willed and domineering leader, he turns into a timid, insecure and conscientious person. His surroundings instantly feel it.

The result is immediate. The closest friend and assistant of Diego de Almagro accuses the governor of unauthorized appropriation of a large amount of gold. Enraged conquistadors kill the recently adored commander and ally.

This happens in 1541, but shortly before his death, the great adventurer talks with a priest and tells him a strange story.

The amazing story of Francisco Pizarro

Twenty years ago, he went hunting, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a stone and lost consciousness. I woke up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strange people with elongated heads.

These people explained that he had a fatal head injury, but they managed to save the unlucky hunter by performing a craniotomy and replacing the crushed bones with gold plates.

The brain also suffered, so the mysterious Aesculapius had no choice but to manipulate the gray matter. During the operation, they activated some of the repressed centers of his hemispheres.

Now our hero has changed internally: he has become more courageous, resolute. He woke up intuition, oratorical talent appeared, memory became perfect, concentration of attention increased, intelligence improved significantly. True, the Aesculapius could not make him a kind and disinterested person, as they were very limited in time.

When asked by our hero why they needed all this, the mysterious people replied that they could not do otherwise. For thousands of years they have been improving human nature by interfering with the vital activity of the brain. Operations are carried out with a cycle of 15 years. After each, the shape of the skull changes slightly, eventually, the head is stretched out, becoming like a large egg.

History has not preserved the name of the priest who spoke with the great adventurer shortly before his death. But interestingly, at the end of the 19th century, a burial dated to the 16th century was found in Peru. Several bodies were found in it, which had elongated skulls. The frontal and occipital bones on them were professionally surgically removed and replaced with gold plates.

In the future, pundits considered this a skillful falsification. Maybe they are right, but in any case, the earth holds amazing secrets. The amazing fate of Francisco Pizarro is another confirmation of this.

The article was written by ridar-shakin