When did the Spanish conquer the Inca Empire?
Quick Answer
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire began in 1532, when Francisco Pizarro captured the emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca.
The Full Story
The Inca Empire, the largest in the pre-Columbian Americas, had just been weakened by a civil war between the brothers Atahualpa and Huáscar and by epidemics of European diseases. On 16 November 1532, Pizarro and fewer than 200 men ambushed Atahualpa's entourage at Cajamarca and took him prisoner. Atahualpa offered to fill a room with gold and silver as ransom, but the Spanish executed him in 1533. The Spanish captured the capital Cusco in November 1533. Inca resistance continued in the mountains until 1572, when the last Inca ruler, Túpac Amaru, was executed.
Key Facts
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