Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478 – June 26, 1541) was a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire and established Spanish rule in much of western South America. Born in Trujillo, Extremadura, he pursued a military career in the Caribbean and the Americas, aligning with other conquistadors to explore new territories and exploit newly encountered civilizations.

Pizarro and his brothers, along with Diego de Almagro, conducted expeditions along the Pacific coast of South America in the 1520s. After initial ventures proved difficult, Pizarro returned with a small force to penetrate the heart of the Inca realm. In 1532, his forces captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca, a pivotal event that facilitated the Spaniards’ entry into the Inca capital and the rapid collapse of central Inca authority. By 1535, Pizarro had founded the city of Lima, which became the capital of the new colonial administration, and he was appointed governor and captain-general of Peru by the Spanish Crown.

His later years were marked by ongoing conflict with rival factions and changes in royal policy. In 1541, during a period of civil strife in Peru, Pizarro was assassinated in Lima by opponents within the colonial factional landscape.

Pizarro’s legacy is contested. He is credited with establishing European domination over a large part of the Andes and with facilitating the extraction of vast mineral wealth for Spain, but his campaigns caused extensive violence and the dismantling of the Inca state and its cultural systems. His actions helped shape the early colonial structure of South America.