1532 Cajamarca—Inca vs. Conquistadors .....................................

Lecture 16

I

n early 1527, two small Spanish ships crept tentatively down the
unexplored western coast of South America. Just after crossing the
equator, they encountered a large, well-made, oceangoing balsa raft.
The crew of the raft was about 20 Inca merchants. This moment marked
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Empire. The Spaniards were impressed by the sophistication of the vessel’s
construction and even more excited by the silver and gold adornments worn
by the crew. Such treasures were exactly what the Spaniards were seeking,
and they immediately seized the raft and its contents. Within a few years, the
mighty Inca Empire would fall to European invaders.

The Inca
x The Inca occupied a narrow strip of territory, several hundred miles
wide but almost 3,000 miles long, stretching down the western
coast of South America and encompassing parts of what are today
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

x These regions had been home to a succession of indigenous

civilizations and cultures that had been building urban sites at least

as far as back as 1400 B.C. These civilizations developed a high

level of craftsmanship in textiles, metalwork, and pottery.

o They domesticated llamas and alpacas as sources of food,

wool, and transportation.

o They erected monumental structures using precisely cut

stone blocks.

o They developed religious beliefs and practices, such as

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sacred calendar.