1532–1533Reputable sourceWell documented
Pizarro and the Fall of the Inca Empire
On the timeline · around 1532–1533 ·
What happened
In 1532 Francisco Pizarro reached the Inca Empire, the largest state in the Americas, just as it was reeling from a civil war and from European disease. With a tiny force he seized and later executed the Inca ruler Atahualpa, then captured the capital, Cusco.
Why it matters
The conquest of the Inca handed Spain the silver-rich Andes and completed European domination of the two greatest American empires within a single generation.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Francisco Pizarro · Reputable source