CONQUEST AND CONVERSION

A bloody civil war, deadly new diseases and cunning Spanish tactics resulted in the end of the once-mighty Inca empire

- NIGE TASSELL

When, in the spring of 1526, Francisco Pizarro's boot first made contact with Inca soil, he could have had no idea about the vastness of the empire he had just landed on, nor the lead part he would play in its downfall.

The Spanish conquistador and his small brigade of men had landed at the Peruvian port of Tumbes, but there was no suggestion that he had the numbers to instigate an invasion, let alone a conquest. Instead, it was a brief fact-finding mission, sending a pair of his sailors to recce the town. They returned with good news, painting a picture of an affluent community where the chief's house was decorated with plentiful gold and silver. Pizarro knew at that moment he would return. And, on that next visit, he would be fully prepared.

At the time of Pizarro's research trip, the Inca empire was stable and secure under the rule of Huayna Cápac. By the time the Spaniard returned around six years later, the empire was fundamentally split - and indirectly so because of the Spanish. Those Europeans who had ventured into Inca lands had brought more than curiosity; they had imported smallpox, which found its way to the highest strata of Inca society. Despite never having met a single Spaniard, Huayna Cápac died from the disease around 1527.

FRATERNAL STRUGGLES

Huayna Cápac's demise created a leadership crisis. By this point, the empire had expanded to such an extent that its rule by just one man - certainly by someone without the widespread devotion of the Inca people that Huayna Cápac had earned - was nigh-on impossible. After his preferred successor Ninan Cuyoche also died from the disease, two other sons - Huáscar and Atahualpa - jointly succeeded him.

Each presided over a separate territory, which, considering the difficulties between the half-brothers, effectively meant the formidable Inca empire had been split in two.