unharmed, but between 2,000 and 10,000
unarmed Incas, including all the chief admin-
istrators of the empire, were killed in a slaugh-
ter that lasted for hours. The next morning,
Pizarro ordered Atahualpa to command his
army to disband. Most of the Inca troops sur-
rounding Cajamarca complied. Pizarro’s tiny
force, however, remained separated from the
coast by difficult terrain and thousands of
hostile soldiers.
As Atahualpa watched the Spaniards pil-
lage Cajamarca, he conceived a plan to save
his own life. He drew a line on a wall with a
piece of chalk, reaching as high as he could
and promising to fill the room to the mark
once with gold and twice with silver if Pizarro
would set him free. Pizarro immediately
agreed and had the terms of the ransom writ-
ten for Atahualpa to sign. During his confine-
ment, Atahualpa was allowed to receive
visitors and continued to govern his empire.
Supervising collection of the ransom took the
Spaniards deeper into Peru. Hernando Pizarro
led a force south to Pachácamac and other
Inca holy sites, whose gold idols were stolen
and melted down.
In February 1533 Almagro arrived at Caja-
marca with reinforcements, who immediately
quarreled with Pizarro’s men over division of
the accumulating tons of gold and silver. By
summer the ransom chamber was full.
Pizarro, however, reneged on the deal. He
accused Atahualpa of plotting against the
Spaniards and ordering the murder of hisPizarro, Peru, and South America B 71
The Spanish invaders tortured the Inca and pillaged their cities, melting statues for their gold and stealing
any treasures they could find. In this 1850s image some Spanish soldiers, commanded by Francisco Pizarro,
burn a Peruvian to make him confess the location of the gold.(Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division [LC-USZ62-104368])