The Spanish conquistadores were both
explorers and conquerors, but some
weremoredevoted to one role than
the other. One who was unquestionably more
interested in conquering new lands than in
exploring them was Francisco Pizarro, a man
driven by an insatiable desire for wealth and
power. Nevertheless, at a terrible cost to Native
civilizations, the foothold Pizarro established
for Spain in Peru provided the most significant
base for the first wave of exploration—and
exploitation—of South America.
Before his adventures in Peru, Pizarro—a
distant cousin of Cortés—was a retired profes-
sional soldier who had spent an undistin-
guished career serving in the expeditions of
others. He had marched to the Pacific Ocean
with Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513. After Bal-
boa’s death, Pizarro remained in Panama,
becoming a local mayor with a reputation for
ruthlessness toward Indians. Attracted by

rumors of wealth in the lands south of

Panama, Pizarro formed a business partner-

ship with another soldier, Diego de Almagro,

and a priest, Hernando de Luque, who agreed

to fund any expeditions Pizarro and Almagro

attempted.

Their initial expeditions were failures.

Pizarro’s first voyage (1524) down the west

coast of Colombia was quickly halted by

Indian attacks and malaria. A second attempt,

in 1526–27, fared little better, but resulted in

an important discovery. While Pizarro waited

in Colombia for Almagro to return from

Panama with reinforcements, their pilot Bar-

tolomé Ruiz continued south. Off the coast of

Ecuador, Ruiz sighted a large oceangoing raft

belonging to local Indians. Francisco de Xéres,

Pizarro’s secretary and the author of the only

first-person reports of the conquest of Peru,

obtained a description of the craft from an

unknown eyewitness:

65

Pizarro, Peru, and

South America

1531–1683

6

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