The conquest of the great [G 11 / Inca] Empire by a band of 160 Spaniards swung the course of South American history and remains one of the great moments of fate. Pizarro and his men were simply in the right place at the right time and successfully betrayed the trust of the Inca leader.
Until the moment of attack, Atahuallpa believed that the band of white men were simply looters who would demand treasure. He regarded them with a mixture of curiosity and contempt. Atahuallpa had no idea that Pizarro and his men were the spearhead of a large invasion force backed by the powerful Spanish Empire. Pizarro invited the Inca to meet him peacefully, but planned to attack him.
Atahuallpa arrived at the main square of Cajamarca - the meeting place - accompanied by many thousands of unarmed Inca dressed in ceremonial clothes with gold discs representing the sun on their heads. They came peacefully, singing songs. Several of the Spanish were hidden around the square, armed and waiting for the signal to attack. A Spanish friar offered Atahuallpa the Bible, explaining to him that he must accept the Christian faith. Atahullpa had no idea what this book was and threw it aside. This gave Pizarro the excuse to attack.
The Spanish rode out from their hiding places and began cutting down the unarmed Indians with their swords. The Inca were overtaken by sheer terror, having never seen mounted cavalry. The attack lasted only two hours and in that time about 7,000 Indians, including many of the most important Inca leaders, were killed by the Spanish or suffocated in their attempts to escape. Atahuallpa was dragged from his litter and [I 003 / captured].
