Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire

The Spanish campaign that dismantled the Inca state, beginning with Francisco Pizarro’s capture of Atahualpa in 1532 and leading to Spanish colonial rule in the Andes.

Battle of Cajamarca: The 1532 encounter in which Spanish forces captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa at Cajamarca. Pizarro’s seizure of Atahualpa there began the conquest’s decisive political crisis.
Francisco Pizarro: A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that captured Atahualpa and established Spanish power in Peru. His leadership and agreements with the Crown shaped the campaign’s aims and authority.
Viceroyalty of Peru: A Spanish colonial jurisdiction established in 1542 that governed much of Spanish South America from Lima. It institutionalized Spanish rule over territories wrested from the Inca state.
Siege of Cusco: The 1536–1537 siege in which Inca forces under Manco Inca tried to retake Cusco from Spanish control. It exposed the limits of Spanish control after the initial capture of the capital.
Spanish conquest of the Maya: The prolonged Spanish campaigns and settlements that brought Maya regions under colonial rule over several centuries. Unlike the rapid seizure of the Inca ruler, Maya resistance and conquest unfolded across many regions and generations.
Atahualpa: The Inca ruler captured by Francisco Pizarro at Cajamarca in 1532 and executed by the Spanish in 1533. His capture disabled imperial command while the Spanish demanded a ransom.
Spanish colonization of the Americas: The conquest, settlement, and governance of American territories by the Spanish Crown and its subjects. The Inca campaign was one episode in Spain’s wider expansion across the Americas.
Encomienda: A Spanish colonial system granting settlers claims to Indigenous labor and tribute under Crown regulation. Conquest enabled encomiendas that extracted labor and tribute from Andean communities.
Manco Inca: An Inca ruler who first cooperated with the Spanish and later led a major rebellion against them. His revolt turned an imposed succession into organized military resistance.
Spanish Empire: A global empire ruled by the Spanish Crown from the late fifteenth century into the nineteenth century. The conquest transferred territory into an empire whose colonial institutions extended beyond the Andes.

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