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The Would - Be Conqueror
Francisco
Pizarro, a native of Trujillo, Spain, was described by
one conquistador who knew him as being "as
proud as he was poor and as lacking in rank as he was
desirous of gaining it."
Pizarro had crossed the
Isthmus of Panama with Balboa in 1513, and was among
the first Europeans to see the
Pacific Ocean.
Rumors of El Dorado
Rumors of rich kingdoms and gilded
rulers began to reach the Spaniards soon after they
reached the New World.
Cortez's conquest of Mexico in 1519 raised the level
of greed and excitement to fever pitch, inspiring numerous
other expeditions to various parts of the New World.
The stampede of gold-seekers became so severe that
the Governor of Panama threatened to hang or cut
off the
feet of anyone seeking to raise an expedition to search
for any more "El Dorados". Nevertheless,
Pizarro managed to obtain permission for an initial
expedition
south along the western coast of South America.
The First
Expedition
On the first expedition, Pizarro and his men managed
to make it only as far as the mouth of the San Juan
River, on the coast what is today Colombia. They slogged
inland
through mangrove swamps, suffering from rotting boots,
Indian arrows and intestinal cramps. Many died, and
they were forced to turn back.
Back
in Panama, Pizarro avoided the governor and his creditors
while his wounds healed. Acting as if he had
succeeded, instead of failing miserably, he made a deal
with the backers of his first expedition to divide and
conquer Peru. His partners were Fernando de Luque, a
churchman who raised money, and Diego de Almagro, an
old soldier well-versed in raising fighting men. All
of this was based on pure gall and supposition, as they
still had heard only the vaguest rumors of a glittering
golden empire to the south.
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The Second Expedition
With Cortez's success in Mexico drawing everyone north, it
took Pizarro another year to raise the men and money for
a second expedition. On this expedition, one ship dropped
Pizarro and his company off again in Colombia, then sailed
back to Panama for reinforcements, while the second ship
explored southward along the coast. This ship had the good
fortune to encounter a huge trading raft from Tumbes, an
Inka city further to the south, loaded with textiles, gold,
silver and rubies. However, Pizarro's attempt to march
south along the coast was stopped by an army of hostile
Indians at the port of Esmeralda. He sent both ships back
to Panama for additional men, while he and a few stalwart
companions waited on an island, Isla del Gallo, off the
coast of Colombia.
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The angry Governor sent
ships to bring them back to Panama, but Pizarro refused.
He drew a line in the sand with his sword, pointed south
and challenged his followers, saying: "There lies
toil, famine, nakedness, rainstorms, foresakenness and
death. Let he who will risk Peru and riches, follow me;
let he who will not, return to Panama and poverty." Thirteen
men stepped across the line and joined him.
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Gold - At Last!
When his ship returned, five months later, Pizarro and
his companions sailed on to Tumbes, where they at last
encountered the Inka civilization they had been seeking.
There they were greeted courteously by an Inka noble, who
entertained them at a banquet. They witnessed temple artisans
making gold and silver ornaments, demonstrated the firing
of an arquebus and were offered beautiful wives. The Spaniards
were nearly mad with joy.
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| Pizarro's various expeditions. |
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| Francisco Pizarro, Conqueror of
Peru. |
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| Gold figurine. |
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