Influence Of Hernando Pizarro On The Conquest Of The Incas

Tom Nowakowski

11/13/14

HI-324

Dr. Schandler

Hernando Pizarro on the Conquest of the Incas

This is a source from Francisco Pizarro’s brother, Hernando Pizarro. Both Francisco and Hernando were Spanish conquistadors known for their conquest of the Inca Empire in the 16th c. This source provides a description of the Pizarro brother's travels throughout the empire, along with their observations and thoughts about Incan society, and the current status quo of the Amerindian empire. In addition, it seeks to provide an accurate account of their explorations to counteract the false narratives that have been told to Spanish authorities.

Hernando begins this source by stating this his brother established the settlement

town of San Miguel. After establishing order, he embarked upon an expedition to the town of Cajamarca, which was where he expected to meet the Incan emperor, Atahualpa. Francisco was then informed by an associate of Atahualpa that the emperor desired to see Pizarro. Pizarro continued on his journey to Cajamarca, noting the changing terrain such as the flatlands, rugged mountains, valleys, and mountain passes. However, difficulties in the journey were abound, with the chief one being the difficulty of locating Atahualpa. Eventually though, Pizarro arrived in Cajamarca. There he was met by natives with food. Despite finally arriving, Atahualpa didn’t immediately make contact with the conquistadors. Consequently, Hernando went to see Atahualpa on behalf of his brother, Francisco. Hernando claimed they wanted to establish a friendship and that the governor (Francisco) wished to see him. Still, Atahualpa hesitated and remarked that he was aware of the conquistadors’ activities elsewhere throughout his empire.

The stakes were raised on the next day. The conquistadors had originally planned to meet Atahualpa, only to be tipped off by his messengers that Atahualpa intended to launch a war against them since they were armed. Next, Atahualpa organized his army into a formation, and Francisco did the same with his army as well. However, Atahualpa decided to leave his soldiers behind to meet the Spanish in an open field outside of Cajamarca. He brought along with him about 5,000-7,000 warriors, but they were very lightly armed. Atahualpa and his crew intended to impress the conquistadors by wearing ornate clothing and showing off their precious metals. Unbeknownst to them they were about to be ambushed.

With Spanish soldiers hiding in the periphery, a Dominican Friar emerged. The Friar issued a demand to accept Christianity and the authority of the Spanish crown. Atahualpa refused and thus a subsequent battle ensued. It did not bode well for the Incans as they were practically unarmed and taken by surprise. The Incans were subsequently defeated, Atahualpa was captured, and the Spanish continued to pursue fleeing Incans in the surrounding areas. After the conquest, the Spanish used Atahualpa as a tool and ruled through him to control the empire and ensure that rebellion did not take place. However, they deemed him a liability later on. Then, they staged a mock trial and executed him. Overall, Spanish cavalry charges, steel swords, gunfire, and body armor overawed the Incans who had never been exposed to them before. They were certainly a decisive factor in ensuring Incan defeat.

After the battle, the source describes the conquistador’s discovery of Incan gold in Atahualpa’s camp. This further fueled their desire to search for more gold elsewhere. As such, several expeditions were mounted in an attempt to discover as much as they could. One of those conquistadors sent on an expedition was the writer of this source, Hernando, who would come to find gold and silver of his own. Hernando also continued his journey to find the fleeing Incan captains and other armed Incans who had escaped the battle in Cajamarca. Throughout his journey, Hernando recorded descriptions of the places he traveled through. He described different towns, mines, geography, weather, Incan religious practices, Incan festivities and dancing, and how ordinary Incans made their living by farming. When Hernando returned to his brother, he was ordered to return to Spain to report his findings to the crown. Additionally, he took with him gold to deliver to the Spanish monarchy as well.

Aside from a few nuances, the Pizarro brother’s conquest of the Incas was not unlike that of Hernan Cortes’ conquest of the Aztecs.

Both conquistadors came with a lust for gold and other precious metals; this was not only for their own personal gain but also for that of the empire’s state coffers. The origin for this obsession with New World gold had begun earlier though, beginning with Columbus’ insatiable appetite for the precious metal. Both conquistadors came with a mission to claim lands for their king, as they believed that their king was entitled to all the lands of the world. Both conquistadors sought to convert local populations to Christianity; they looked upon native religions as nothing than immoral polytheistic practices. Therefore, they thought that they had the duty to guide them to what they perceived to be the correct religion. This meant officially stamping out native religious practices and committing actions like destroying temple statues and burning their holy books. In addition, the colonizers carried out the construction of Christian churches, along with mission centers whose job it was to convert the local native populations. Additionally, both conquistadors were utterly ruthless if their demands were not met; this included employing the use of multiple violent tactics to assert their

authority.

Further aiding the conquistador’s efforts in conquering these native empires were their advantages of having firearms, steel weapons, and communicable diseases. First off, the advantage of firearms and steel weapons proved to be extremely significant. Despite being outnumbered by natives, the conquistadors could make up for the difference by employing the use of their technological advantage. Granted, as in the case of toppling the Aztec Empire, the conquistadors had natives allies. Nonetheless, having firearms and steel weapons allowed the conquistadors to gain the decisive edge in ensuring their victories. It certainly isn’t far-fetched to posit that had the natives had firearms and steel weapons of their own, they would’ve likely defeated their invaders. Next, native tribes had no immunity to European diseases like smallpox, cholera, influenza, measles, and diphtheria. These diseases wreaked havoc on the New World with millions of people dying and whole populations getting decimated.

On top of all that, the Spanish had no intentions of leaving. In addition to wanting to exploit the mines and natural resources, they also commanded native labor for their economic benefit. Eventually, the Spanish would send more colonists to settle in the New World, thereby causing more friction and hostilities with the natives. This would all culminate in the formation of the entrenched colonial elite in future Latin American nation-states. The conquest of the Aztecs and the Incas was only the beginning.

The importance of conquests like that of the Incan Empire illustrates the beginning of a new era for the “Old World”. Contrary to any preconceived notions, colonizers would not visit and then promptly return home. The Spanish would lead the way for further involvement of European powers in the New World for centuries to come. The significance of this meant not only the end of native empires and their customs and ways of life, but also of their sovereignty as well. Following the Spanish were the Portuguese, French, English, and Dutch who were all hungry for their share of the pie in resources, labor, land, and ultimate power.

Obviously, 16th century colonial activities in Latin America did not impact the United States since it wasn’t a country yet. Nevertheless, as previously stated, the colonial activities of the Spaniard’s would influence other European powers to become invested in the New World. One of those powers included England, the primary colonizer of what’s now the United States. England saw that Spain was getting extremely rich from their New World exploits. Consequently, they became jealous and did not remain content knowing that a rival power was becoming increasingly powerful. At first, the English began by raiding Spanish ships; piracy was quite common and even led to wars. Then, they sent out expeditions and eventually established colonies of their own. Although unlike the Spanish they did not practice a model of colonial inclusion. Rather, they pushed out Native Americans to make way for their own settlements. From an economic standpoint, the English stood much to gain. Not to mention, they acquired a plethora of land and resources. This story of conquest originated from conquests like those of the conquistadors, hundreds of years earlier.

In conclusion, conquistador expeditions such as the one profiled in this analysis epitomized the brutal actions, ruthless greed, and stark conquests that occurred all over the Americas.

The Pizarro brothers deemed their actions to be justifiable in the name of the crown; this included the desire to secure lands and gold for the crown, and to convert those who weren’t Christian. Along the way, Hernando Pizarro documented many aspects of the new lands he explored, including their geography, people, customs, and cultures. These explorations only motivated the Spanish for more conquest and more gold, resources, and labor. They would not be satisfied under they could dominate as much of the New World as they could. They were determined to achieve such an aspiration through virtually any means possible, even if that meant violence. In turn, this influenced other European powers to do the same, including in what’s now the United States. Early New World expeditions and conquests like those of the Pizarro brothers effectively sealed the New World’s

fate.

Works Cited

Pizarro, Hernando. "Hernando Pizarro on the Conquest of the Incas." Sam Houston State University. November 1, 1533. Accessed November 7, 2014. http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Pizarro.html.