Editing Inca Empire (section)

=== Inca Civil War and Spanish conquest ===
{{Main|Inca Civil War|Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire}}
[[File:Capitulo-XXXVIII.jpg|thumb|The first image of the Inca in Europe, [[Pedro Cieza de León]], ''Crónica del Perú'', 1553]]
[[File:Sapa inkakuna.jpg|thumb|[[Capaccona]] or ''Qhapaqkuna'' "the kings", a 17th-century Cusco painting with the Inca lineages mentioned by colonial chronicles and their relationship with the royal queens of Cuzco, which hide behind a complex representation of the Inca social organization.]]

Spanish [[conquistadors]] led by [[Francisco Pizarro]] and his brothers explored south from what is today [[Panama]], reaching Inca territory by 1526.<ref>*{{cite web |author=Juan de Samano |url=http://bloknot.info/juan-de-samanos-relacion-de-los-primeros-descubrimientos-peru-francisco-pizarro-y-diego-de-almagro-1526/ |title=Relacion de los primeros descubrimientos de Francisco Pizarro y Diego de Almagro, 1526 |website=bloknot.info |date=9 October 2009 |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=18 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121218162839/http://bloknot.info/juan-de-samanos-relacion-de-los-primeros-descubrimientos-peru-francisco-pizarro-y-diego-de-almagro-1526/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was clear that they had reached a wealthy land with prospects of great treasure, and after another expedition in 1529 Pizarro traveled to Spain and received royal approval to conquer the region and be its [[viceroy]]. This approval was received as detailed in the following quote: "In July 1529 the [[Isabella of Portugal|Queen of Spain]] signed a charter allowing Pizarro to conquer the Incas. Pizarro was named governor and captain of all conquests in Peru, or New Castile, as the Spanish now called the land".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Somervill |first=Barbara |title=Francisco Pizarro: Conqueror of the Incas |publisher=[[Capstone Publishers|Compass Point Books]] |date=2005 |page=52 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=j-FusDo4ssoC}} |isbn=978-0-7565-1061-9}}</ref>

When the conquistadors returned to Peru in 1532, a [[Inca Civil War|war of succession]] between the sons of [[Sapa Inca]] Huayna Capac, [[Huáscar]] and [[Atahualpa]], and unrest among newly conquered territories weakened the empire. Perhaps more importantly, [[smallpox]], [[influenza]], [[typhus]] and [[measles]] had spread from Central America. The first epidemic of European disease in the Inca Empire was probably in the 1520s, killing Huayna Capac, his designated heir [[Ninan Cuyochi]], and an unknown, probably large, number of other Inca subjects.<ref name="D'Altroy">{{cite book |last1=D'Altroy |first1=Terence N. |title=The Incas |date=2003 |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell|Blackwell Publishing]] |isbn=9780631176770 |page=76}}</ref>

The forces led by Pizarro consisted of 168 men, along with one [[cannon]] and 27 [[horse]]s. The conquistadors were armed with [[lance]]s, [[arquebus]]es, [[Plate armour|steel armor]] and [[Rapier|long swords]]. In contrast, the Inca used weapons made out of wood, stone, copper and bronze, while using an [[Alpaca fiber]] based armor, putting them at significant technological disadvantage – none of their weapons could pierce the Spanish steel armor. In addition, due to the absence of horses in Peru, the Inca did not develop tactics to fight cavalry. However, the Inca were still effective warriors, being able to successfully [[Battle of the Maule|fight]] the [[Mapuche]], who later would [[Arauco War|strategically defeat]] and [[Destruction of the Seven Cities|reverse Spanish colonisation]] in [[Zona Sur|southern Chile]].

The first engagement between the Inca and the Spanish was the [[Battle of Puná]], near present-day [[Guayaquil]], Ecuador, on the Pacific Coast; Pizarro then founded the city of [[Piura]] in July 1532. [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] was sent inland to explore the interior and returned with an invitation to meet the Inca, Atahualpa, who had defeated his brother in the civil war and was resting at [[Cajamarca]] with his army of 80,000 troops, that were at the moment armed only with hunting tools (knives and lassos for hunting llamas).

Pizarro and some of his men, most notably a friar named [[Vincente de Valverde]], met with the Inca, who had brought only a small retinue. The Inca offered them ceremonial [[chicha]] in a golden cup, which the Spanish rejected. The Spanish interpreter, Friar Vincente, read the "[[Requerimiento]]" that demanded that he and his empire accept the rule of King [[Charles I of Spain]] and convert to Christianity. Atahualpa dismissed the message and asked them to leave. After this, the Spanish began their [[Battle of Cajamarca|attack]] against the mostly unarmed Inca, captured Atahualpa as hostage, and forced the Inca to collaborate.

Atahualpa offered the Spaniards enough gold to fill the [[The Ransom Room|room he was imprisoned in]] and twice that amount of silver. The Inca fulfilled this ransom, but Pizarro deceived them, refusing to release the Inca afterwards. During Atahualpa's imprisonment, Huascar was assassinated elsewhere. The Spaniards maintained that this was at Atahualpa's orders; this was used as one of the charges against Atahualpa when the Spaniards finally executed him in August 1533.{{sfn|McEwan|2008|p=79}}

Although "defeat" often implies an unwanted loss in battle, many of the diverse ethnic groups ruled by the Inca "welcomed the Spanish invaders as liberators and willingly settled down with them to share rule of Andean farmers and miners".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Technology, Disease, and Colonial Conquest |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |date=2003 |editor-last=Raudzens |editor-first=George |page=xiv}}</ref> Many regional leaders, known as [[kuraka]]s, continued to serve the Spanish overlords, called [[Encomiendas in Peru|encomenderos]], as they had served the Inca overlords. Other than efforts to spread the religion of [[Christianity]], the Spanish benefited from and made little effort to change the society and culture of the former Inca Empire until the rule of [[Francisco de Toledo]] as [[viceroy]] from 1569 to 1581.<ref>Mumford, Jeremy Ravi (2012), ''Vertical Empire,'' [[Duke University Press]], Durham, pages 19–30, 56–57, ISBN 9780822353102.</ref>