1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: show that pays tribute to people of the past by 4 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: telling their stories. Today, I'm Gabeluesier, and in this episode 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: we're reflecting on the downfall of the Inca Empire and 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: how it opened the door to the European colonization of 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: South America. The day was November sixteenth, fifteen thirty two. 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: The last ruler of the Inca Empire was captured by 9 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: Spanish conquistadors at the Battle of Cajamarca. The surprise attack 10 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: was led by Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish soldier and explorer 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: who had come to pillage and conquer Peru with his 12 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: king's blessing. The odds were not in his favor, however, 13 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: since the Incan emperor had at Hualpa had an army 14 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: of eighty thousand at his disposal, while Pizarro commanded less 15 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: than two hundred. But in the end, Pizarro found a 16 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: way to exploit the Inca's vulnerabilities and lure their ruler 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: into a deadly trap that ultimately doomed the kingdom. When 18 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: Pizarro and his men first arrived in South America, the 19 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: Inca Empire was at the peak of its power. The 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: Inca's formidable army had steadily expanded the empire's borders throughout 21 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: the fifteenth century, and as a result, their territory stretched 22 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,639 Speaker 1: from present day Ecuador all the way down to parts 23 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: of modern Chile, encompassing more than ten million people. Military 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: might wasn't the Inca's only strength either. They had ingenuity 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: on their side as well. They built thousands of miles 26 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: of roads to connect the far reaches of their kingdom 27 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: and erected monumental structures using masonry techniques that had never 28 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: been seen before. The Incas also had an impressive knowledge 29 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: of mathematics, agriculture, and astronomy, and their finally woven textiles 30 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: were said to be some of the finest and most 31 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: intricate in the world. Of course, conquistadors like Francisco Pizarro 32 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: were much more interested in gold and silver than textiles. 33 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,519 Speaker 1: He was already a wealthy man thanks to his role 34 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: in the conquest of Panama, but he believed an even 35 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: bigger score awaited him somewhere down in South America. A 36 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: series of expeditions in the late fifteen twenties convinced him 37 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: that one region in particular was ripe for conquest, and 38 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: in fifteen thirty one, King Charles the Fifth gave him 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: permission to test his theory. At first, Pizarro didn't have 40 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: much of a plan. He and his crew, which was 41 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: only about one hundred and sixty men and forty horses, 42 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: landed on the north coast of what's now Ecuador and 43 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: then made their way inland, plundering villages as they went 44 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: along the way, Though they started to hear stories about 45 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: the great wealth of Cusco, the capital of the Kingdom 46 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: of the Inca. Pizarro changed course immediately, and on the 47 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: way to the capital he gained some valuable intel on 48 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: his new target. It turned out that Inca had recently 49 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: been embroiled in a civil war that had decimated their 50 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: population and divided the people's loyalties. The catalyst for the 51 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: fighting had been the death of a beloved emperor, Juana Kappek, 52 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: five years earlier. When Kapik's heir apparent died suddenly as well, 53 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: two of his other sons both tried to claim the throne. 54 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: The younger of the two, Ada Walpa one support in 55 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: the northern part of the empire, while his rival and 56 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: half brother Huascar one support in the south. More importantly, though, 57 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: Ada Walpa had the loyalty of Inca's finest generals, giving 58 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: his forces a decisive edge on the battlefield. In the 59 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: spring of fifteen thirty two, Atahualpa defeated and captured his 60 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: half brother and was in the process of piecing his 61 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: kingdom back together when Pizarro and his men showed up. 62 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: The newly crowned emperor or Sapa. Inca had been warned 63 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: that Spanish invaders were heading for Cusco, but since there 64 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: were so few of them, he didn't consider them much 65 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: of a threat. In fact, when the Spanish requested an 66 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: audience with him at the town of Caha Marca, he 67 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: assumed they wanted to make amends for all the pillaging 68 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: they'd been doing. In reality, though, the invitation was just 69 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: a ruse to lure the emperor out into the open. 70 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: Taking advantage of the empire's fractured allegiances, Pizarro had spent 71 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: months recruiting soldiers who were still loyal to Huascar. Then 72 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: in mid November, he laid a trap for the Inca 73 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 1: emperor in a town square in Cahamarca. He placed several 74 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: cannons on a rooftop, hid his horsemen and foot soldiers 75 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: and buildings all around the square, and then waited for 76 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: the guest of honor to arrive. On November sixteenth, fifteen 77 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: thirty two, Pizarro's envoy met Ottawalpa just outside the city 78 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: and invited him to the town square for a feast 79 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: to celebrate his ascension to the throne. The emperor had 80 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: about eighty thousand soldiers with him that day, but he 81 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: only brought five thousand unarmed men into the city with him. 82 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: That's how little he suspected the foul play that awaited him. 83 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: Once Adawalpa was in position, Pizarro sent a Catholic friar 84 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: named Valverdi out to greet him. Valverti spoke through an 85 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: inca interpreter, explaining the facets of his faith and urging 86 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: the emperor to convert to Christianity. As you might imagine, 87 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: the idea didn't go over so well, and when Adawalpa 88 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: angrily refused, Valverdi gave the signal to attack. Suddenly, dozens 89 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: of horsemen and footmen flooded into the square and cannon 90 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: fire rang out from the rooftops. The Incas were caught 91 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: completely off guard, not only by the attack itself but 92 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: by the weapons used to wage it. They had never 93 00:05:55,640 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: encountered steel swords, muskets, cannons, or even horses, and the 94 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: sight of such strange, powerful weapons further fueled their panic. 95 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: Trapped in tight corners and with no means to defend themselves, 96 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 1: the unarmed Inca soldiers and noblemen didn't stand a chance. 97 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: Pizarro's men slaughtered all five thousand of them in a 98 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: matter of hours, and not a single Spanish soldier was 99 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,359 Speaker 1: killed in the process. Ada Walpa was nearly killed himself, 100 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: but was ultimately saved at the last minute by Pizarro, 101 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: who realized the ruler might be worth more to him 102 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: alive than dead. The emperors started to understand who he 103 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: was dealing with after a few days, and promised to 104 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: deliver an obscene amount of gold and silver in exchange 105 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: for his freedom. Pizarro agreed, and over the next year 106 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 1: he collected roughly thirteen thousand pounds of gold and twice 107 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: as much silver from the Incas as you probably guess. 108 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: Though Pizarro didn't keep his end of the deal, once 109 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: the ransom had been paid in full, he staged a 110 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: mock trial for ada Walpa and declared him guilty of 111 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: practicing idolatry and of murdering Huascar, the rightful ruler of 112 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:10,119 Speaker 1: the Inca Empire. The deposed emperor was sentenced to death 113 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: for these supposed crimes and was executed by strangulation on 114 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: August twenty ninth, fifteen thirty three. With Adawalpa out of 115 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: the way, the Spanish moved quickly to consolidate their power 116 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: in the region. They installed puppet rulers, including one of 117 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: Adawalpa's own brothers, and the surviving Incas who opposed them 118 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: were forced to retreat further into the Andes Mountains. Those 119 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: pockets of resistance continued to fight against Spanish invasion for 120 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: the next several decades, but in the early fifteen seventies, 121 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: the last Inca stronghold finally fell. In the end, Spain 122 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: had to give up control of Peru in eighteen twenty one, 123 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: when Jose de Saint Martin declared the nation's independence. Sadly, though, 124 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: the Incas weren't there to witness the overthrow of their 125 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: former oppressors. By that point, the vast majority of their 126 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: homes and culture had already been wiped away. I'm Gabe 127 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: Lucier and hopefully you now know a little more about 128 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you have a 129 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: second and you're so inclined, consider keeping up with us 130 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can find us at 131 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: TDI HC Show. You can also rate and review the 132 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: show on Apple Podcasts, or you can reach out directly 133 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks 134 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks to 135 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 136 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: for another day in History class.