Complex sentence: A civil war ensued with Atahualpa being victorious, but it was at this time that Spanish conquistadors began arriving in South America and they used deceit to capture Atahualpa before he had returned to Cusco, copying an earlier exploit in Mesoamerica.
Split into simpler sentences: A civil war ensued with Atahualpa being victorious, but it was at this time that Spanish conquistadors began arriving in South America. The conquistadors used deceit to capture Atahualpa on his way back to Cusco, copying an earlier exploit in Mesoamerica.