The band of 160 Spaniards who conquered the [G 11 / Inca] Empire was led by the illegitimate son of a Spanish captain. [I 001 / Francisco Pizarro] was born around 1475 in Tujillo, a town in a poor province of Spain. He was brought up in his father's house but did not receive any formal education and apparently remained illiterate all his life.
With no prospects of a better life in Spain, Pizarro decided to take his chances in the New World and sailed to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in 1502. He was part of an expedition to Colombia in 1510, and accompanied the explorer [L3 213 / Vasco Nunez de Balboa] on a journey across Panama.
Pizarro was ambitious for both power and wealth. He was a man who had been hardened by 25 years in the harsh environment of the New World where survival depended on physical strength and the ability to see and exploit opportunities. He knew about the wealthy Inca Empire to the south, and between 1524 and 1528 he made expeditions to explore the coasts of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. On his second exploratory expedition he reached Inca settlements on the coast of Peru and learned about the vast wealth of the Inca. He was ordered to return to Panama by the governor, but refused to obey and remained on an island off Peru.
Pizarro had decided that going back to Panama meant returning to a life of mediocrity and poverty. Beyond him lay the unexplored, incredibly wealthy Inca Empire. He explained the situation to his men and drew a line in the sand. To those who stepped over the line, he offered a chance to join him in the conquest of the Inca. The rest returned to Panama. Pizarro then sailed back to Spain to ask for royal authorization to begin the conquest.
