6. Inca Empire falls to conquistadors

In the 1530's, Spanish forces led by Francisco Pizarro conquered most of Peru, including the fabulous city of Cusco, the Inca capital. In 1535, Pizarro founded Lima and made it Peru's capital. From Peru, Spain launched its conquest of much of the rest of South America. Peruvian mines have yielded large amounts of gold and silver for Spain.

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