Encyclopedia of the Incas

Other factors of note are the Spaniards’ superior weapons (e.g., cannon,
harquebus, and metal pikes, swords, and spears), horses, and tactics (e.g., the
ambush); the help of Native allies who resented Inca domination; and the Native
views and practices, which led them to believe fleetingly that the invaders were
gods or emissaries of the god Viracocha (see Religion) who had come to settle
the disagreement between the two brothers. Another related factor was their
belief that the proper way to greet a visitor was to drink large quantities of
chicha, maize beer; this no doubt dulled the judgment and sensibilities of
Atahualpa as he entered the plaza of Cajamarca. The deceptively small Spanish
force also blinded the ruler to the danger they posed to his own safety and
sovereignty.
From the coastal Zaña valley, Pizarro and his band began the climb into the
mountains on November 8, 1532, reaching Cajamarca a week later. They were
unnerved when they saw the tents of Atahualpa’s forces that extended a league
(about five kilometers) across the valley. Yet, a small contingent of mounted
ambassadors found Atahualpa at the nearby hot springs of Cónoj and eventually
received his word to come to Cajamarca the next day.
That night, the Spaniards hardly slept. Pizarro placed most of his men and
horses out of sight in the buildings that lined three sides of the plaza. Some
mounted pieces of artillery on the small “fortress” (an ushnu, or ceremonial
platform) on one side of the plaza. Atahualpa, riding on his litter, arrived, as
promised, very late the next afternoon, surrounded by a few thousand of his
brightly attired retainers and servants. There in the plaza of Cajamarca, the friar
Vicente de Valverde, with Bible or breviary in hand, tried to communicate the
essence of the requerimiento (literally, the requirement, a document that justified
making war on and enslaving Natives who resisted Spanish hegemony and
evangelization) to Atahualpa through a young interpreter, a Native who had been
captured on the second voyage and taken to Spain where he learned the
rudiments of the Spanish language. Atahualpa understood imperfectly that
Valverde’s message was contained in the book, no doubt likening it to the
oracles he frequented and that offered advice. Valverde handed him the tome,
but when it did not “speak” to Atahualpa, he became annoyed and threw it to the
ground. An indignant Valverde shouted to Pizarro to attack. At the prearranged
signal, the Spaniards emerged from hiding and fired into the surprised crowd,
while the cavalry charged, knocking Natives down. The shocked ranks of
Atahualpa’s escort turned and fled in terror, stampeding toward an adobe wall
that enclosed the plaza. Many fell and were crushed. The troops waiting beyond