x Pizarro had his men, ready and fully armed, concealed in the
buildings. He had also occupied a small fort and stationed his
cannons and more men there. The Inca appear to have honored
an agreement to come unarmed, although some may have carried
slings and small knives.
x Eyewitnesses from the Spanish and Inca sides give somewhat
differing accounts of what happened next, but what is certain is that
Pizarro gave the signal to attack. His men, including 60 mounted on
horses, burst out of the buildings and charged into the ranks of the
XQVXVSHFWLQJ,QFD7KHFDQQRQV¿UHGZLWKWHUULEOHHIIHFWLQWRWKH
crowded throng of natives, and the steel-encased Spanish began to
cut them down. Pizarro himself led the attack on Atahualpa’s litter.
x Oddly, the Spanish allowed Atahualpa to send and receive
messengers and to act as the emperor while he remained captive.
$WDKXDOSDUHPDLQHGFDOPDQGGLJQL¿HGFOHDUO\EHOLHYLQJWKDWKH
would soon escape. Noting the fascination that gold seemed to hold
IRUWKH6SDQLDUGVKHRIIHUHGWR¿OORQHRIWKHQHDUE\URRPVZLWK
gold objects up to a height of about seven feet in exchange for his
freedom. The Spanish eagerly accepted the terms, and Atahualpa
gave orders for the gold to be collected and sent to Cajamarca.
x He badly misjudged the Spanish, however. Months passed while
the ransom was collected, during which time the Spanish acquired
reinforcements and took into custody the most powerful Inca
generals, who might have organized opposition to them.
x Once the incredible ransom was assembled, the Spanish melted it
all down, destroying an irreplaceable artistic heritage. Pizarro did
not release Atahualpa as promised and, in July 1533, put him on
trial on trumped-up charges and executed him.
x The Spanish replaced him with a succession of puppet emperors,
while the rebel Inca elevated their own emperor. The last Inca
emperor died in 1572, by which time Spanish consolidation of
power over the Inca Empire was complete.