Francisco Pizarro

Born into poverty in 1474 Trujillo Spain, at 36 years of age, Francisco Pizarro joined a group of 300 settlers led by Alonso de Ojeda to colonize San Sebastian in present-day Colombia, but when food stocks ran low, Ojeda left Pizarro in charge while he sailed on an urgent voyage to resupply the colony.

During his absence, 200 settlers were lost to tropical heat and diseases, leaving the survivors no choice but to return to Cartagena.

Adventures in Panama

Undeterred by misadventure, in 1513, Pizarro joined with Vasco Núñez de Balboa to found the new colony of Darien near present-day Panama, giving both explorers the distinction of becoming the first Europeans to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas.

A year later, Pedro Arias Dávila replaced Balboa as governor of Castilla de Oro, and when Pizarro arrested Balboa on Dávila’s orders, which led to Balboa’s eventual execution, Pizarro was rewarded handsomely for his loyalty to Dávila, growing wealthy in his position as mayor of the newly founded town of Panama.

The Inca Empire

Seeking to elevate his status as a major player in the Age of Exploration, Pizarro teamed up with Diego de Almagro, making two voyages down the west coast of South America between 1524 and 1528, the first ending in failure, while the second landed Pizarro in Peru, where he heard stories about a great ruler who reigned over the Inca Empire.

Returning to Spain for a meeting with King Charles, the Spanish ruler gave Pizarro permission to claim Peru for Spain, promising Pizarro he could govern any and all lands that he conquered on his return voyage to the Americas.

In 1532, Pizarro sailed with three of his half-brothers—Gonzalo, Hernando and Juan Pizarro—into the Incan city of Cajamarca, where Incan leader Atahualpa was celebrating his victory over his brother Huáscar after a bloody civil war. Taking the Incan leader hostage, Atahualpa was killed in 1533 despite having paid a sizable ransom to save his life.

Final Conquest and Death

Pizarro then conquered the city of Cuzco before founding Lima, and after relations between Almagro and Pizarro devolved into a power struggle in 1537 that led to Almagro’s death, Almagro’s armed supporters broke into Pizarro’s Lima palace, assassinating the explorer on June 26th, 1541, making the life and explorations of Francisco Pizarro, a tragic downfall for the once great Inca people.