The arrival of the Spanish to Peru and its subsequent conquest occurs years after Christopher Columbus' voyages of discovery to what was called the New World.
News of the existence of large deposits of gold and silver encouraged and motivated the exploration campaigns of the conquerors, after the first attempts to carry out expedition companies had been unsuccessful.
Conquest of Peru.
After several attempts by the Spanish, who had settled in Panama for the colonization of South America, an expedition by Francisco Pizarro began, which was successful.
The arrival of the Spanish in Peru
From the outset, the arrival of the Spanish was complex, as they encountered unsanitary areas and hostile Indians. The Spanish managed to reach the territory of Peru after Francisco Pizarro's second exploration trip, which took place in the year 1527.
To penetrate the territory, they had to cross the north coast of the area, which included towns such as Sechura, Pacasmayo and Paita, to finally reach the mouth of the Santa River.
Years later, with the permission granted by the Spanish crown, the conquerors left Panama for Peruvian territory in 1531, with a group of 180 men and only 39 horses.
They landed in Tumbes in 1532. That same year, Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in Peru, and it was called San Miguel de Tangarará.
In Cajamarca, Pizarro had an interview with the Inca Atahualpa in the Plaza de Armas. However, the Inca was captured and there were thousands of murders by the Spanish.
Atahualpa was accompanied at that time by a reduced and unarmed army, and did not take into account the firepower that the Spanish had, who had used the help of the Inca's enemies to defeat him.
Thus, Atahualpa was taken prisoner for several months. In the first place, he offered to give gold and silver in exchange for his freedom, but he was deceived and later executed in the Plaza de Armas of Cajamarca on July 26, 1533.
The news of his death had a devastating effect on the Inca forces, as they were dispersed throughout the territory, which allowed Pizarro to take Cuzco, but not without first taking the loot of the treasures.
Results of the conquest of Peru
Once the combat forces of the Incas were reduced, the Spanish began to found several cities with which they showed their military, economic and cultural power.
Thus, they founded cities like Quito, Trujillo and Lima. Once founded, it is from the conquered Inca lands that the rest of the South American continent would be explored and annexed.
The American territories conquered by the Spanish passed into the hands of officials of the crown, whether they were viceroys or governors.
Already in 1533, Pizarro goes to Cuzco, where he meets Manco Inca Yupanqui, who was the son of the Inca Huayna Cápac. Manco Inca claimed the rights of succession to power. Pizarro proceeds, proclaiming him "Inca and Lord of the Four His."
The Spanish arrived in Cuzco with the new Inca, and were received with joy, for which Pizarro was considered the god Huiracocha, in other words, the "maker of the world" and avenger of the death of the Inca Huáscar.
Later, Pizarro is authorized by the crown for the conquest and discovery of the entire province of Peru, and he was given the title of Governor and Captain General. It is said that he was able to defeat an army of 40,000 indigenous people with only 200 soldiers.
The Spanish victory was inevitable, which accelerated the dismantling of the Inca empire.
References
- Conquest of Peru (2017). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 19, 2017 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.org.
- The Conquest of Peru. (sf). Retrieved on December 19, 2017 from Peru Routes: peruroutes.com.
- The conquest of Peru (I): The end of an empire. Retrieved on December 19, 2017 from Historia del Nuevo Mundo: historiadelnuevomundo.com.
- Villatoro, M. (2013). Pizarro, the conqueror who defeated 40,000 Inca soldiers with 200 Spaniards. Retrieved on December 19, 2017 from ABC: abc.es.
- Conquest of the Tahuantinsuyo or Inca Empire (2017). Retrieved on December 19, 2017 from Peruvian History: historiaperuana.pe.