Colonial Latin America: The Age of Conquest

Conquest of the Inka

• Atahuallpa's Execution:
  • Pizarro executed Atahuallpa despite receiving a ransom, influenced by fears of Inka armies and pressure from his captains in July 1533.
  • Atahuallpa was garroted after accepting Christian baptism.
• Consolidation of Power:
  • Pizarro appointed Tupac Huallpa and later Manco Inka as compliant successors to maintain a semblance of Inka sovereignty.
  • Spanish forces, aided by indigenous allies like the Cañari, defeated Inka armies.
  • Pizarro founded Lima (Ciudad de los Reyes) as the new capital in 1535, not on the ruins of Cuzco.
• Inka Rebellion:
  • Manco Inka led a major rebellion in 1536, besieging Cuzco with a large army.
  • Inka forces learned to neutralize Spanish military advantages by fighting in steep terrain.
  • Despite initial successes, Manco's troops failed to dislodge the Spaniards, leading to his retreat to Vilcabamba.
• Spanish Civil Wars:
  • Internal divisions among the Spanish undermined their victories.
  • Almagro and Pizarro factions fought for control of Cuzco, leading to Almagro's execution in 1538.
  • Almagro's son assassinated Francisco Pizarro in 1541, causing more chaos.
  • Charles I sent Cristóbal Vaca de Castro to restore order; he defeated Almagro's forces in 1542.
• New Laws and Gonzalo Pizarro's Rebellion:
  • Charles I issued the New Laws in 1542 to protect indigenous peoples, threatening the encomenderos' power.
  • Gonzalo Pizarro led a revolt against the viceroy, Núñez Vela, who was killed in 1546.
  • Gonzalo Pizarro's rule was marked by brutality and was eventually overthrown by Pedro de la Gasca in 1549; Pizarro was executed.
• End of the Conquest:
  • Vast silver deposits at Potosí in 1545 and mercury at Huancavelica in 1563 led to the creation of the mining industry.
  • Viceroy Francisco de Toledo defeated Tupac Amaru, the last independent Inka ruler, in 1572.
  • Tupac Amaru's execution in Cuzco marked the end of the conquest saga.
• Ebb Tide of Conquest:
  • Territorial expansion was driven by individual ambition and desire for wealth rather than a plan by European monarchs.
  • Military forces were often recruited and financed in the Americas.
  • Success depended on the ability and determination of individual leaders.
  • Violence was used to control indigenous and enslaved peoples.
• Central America:
  • Cortés organized expeditions to subjugate former tributaries of the Aztec confederation.
  • Pedro de Alvarado and Gonzalo de Sandoval crushed a native rebellion in Pánuco.