Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas . After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes , 168 Spanish soldiers under Francisco Pizarro and their native allies captured the Sapa Inca Atahualpa in the 1532 Battle of Cajamarca . It was the first step in a long campaign that took decades of fighting but ended in Spanish victory and colonization of the region as the Viceroyalty of Peru . The conquest of the Inca Empire led to spin - off campaigns into present - day Chile and Colombia as well as expeditions towards the Amazon Basin . The Inca Empire at the time of the Spanish arrival . When the Spanish arrived at the borders of the Inca Empire in 1528 , the empire spanned a considerable distance . Extending southward from the Ancs Maya ( meaning Blue River ) which is now known as the Patía River in southern Colombia to the Maule River in Chile , and eastward from the Pacific Ocean to the edge of the Amazonian jungles , the empire covered some of the most mountainous terrain on earth . In less than a century the empire had grown in extent from about in 1448 , to in 1528 , just before the arrival of the Spaniards . This vast area of land varied greatly in both culture and in climate . Because of the greatly varying cultures and geography , many areas of the empire were left under local leaders , who were watched and monitored by Inca officials . However , under the administrative mechanisms established by the Incas , all parts of the empire answered to , and were ultimately under the direct control of , the Emperor . Scholars estimate that the population of the Inca Empire probably numbered over 16 , 000 , 000 . Some scholars , such as Jared Diamond , believe that while the Spanish conquest was undoubtedly the proximate cause of the collapse of the Inca Empire , it may very well have been past its peak and in the process of decline . In 1528 , Emperor Huayna Capac ( Young Lord ) ruled the Inca Empire ( or as the Inca called it , Tahuatinsuyu , or the " Land of the Four - Quarters " , which referred to the four major administrative areas into which the empire was divided ) . He could trace his lineage back to a " stranger king " named Manco Cápac , the mythical founder of the Inca clan , who supposedly emerged from a cave in a region called Pacariqtambo . More importantly , Huayna Capac was the son of the previous ruler , Túpac Inca , and the grandson of Pachacuti , the Emperor who had begun the dramatic expansion by conquest of the Inca Empire from its base in the area around Cuzco . On his accession to the throne , Huayna Capac had continued the policy of expansion by conquest by bringing Inca armies north into what is today Ecuador . While he also had to put down a number of rebellions during the course of his reign , by the time of his death his legitimacy was as unquestioned as was the reality of Inca power . Expansion had created problems , however . Many parts of the empire maintained their cultural identity , and were at best restive participants in the imperial project . The large extent of the empire , the extremely difficult terrain of much of it , and the fact that all communication and travel had to take place on foot , seems to have caused increasing difficulty in administering the empire effectively . Among the most important aspects of Huayna Capac ' s reign were his sons . While he had many legitimate and illegitimate children ( legitimate meaning born of his sister - wife ) , two sons are historically important . The first was Prince Túpac Cusi Hualpa , also known as Huáscar , whose mother was Coya ( meaning Empress ) Mama Rahua Occllo . The second was Atahualpa , an illegitimate son who was likely born of a daughter of the last independent King of Quitu , one of the states conquered by Huayna Capac during the great expanse of the Inca Empire . These two sons would play pivotal roles in the final years of the Inca Empire . Pizarro and his men were greatly aided in their enterprise by the fact that they arrived when the Inca Empire was in the midst of a war of succession between princes Huáscar and Atahualpa . Atahualpa seems to have spent more time with Huayna Capac during the years when he was in the north with the army conquering Ecuador . Atahualpa was thus closer to , and had better relations with the army and its leading generals . When both Huayna Capac and his eldest son and designated heir , Ninan Cuyochic , died suddenly in 1528 from what was probably smallpox , a disease introduced by the Spaniards into the Americas during their conquest of Mexico , the question of who would succeed as emperor was thrown open as Huayna had died before he could nominate the new heir . At the time of Huayna Capac ' s death Huáscar was in the capital Cuzco , while Atahualpa was in Quitu with the main body of the Inca army . Huáscar had himself proclaimed Sapa Inca ( i . e . " Only Emperor " ) in Cuzco , but the army declared its loyalty to Atahualpa . The resulting dispute led to the Inca Civil War . ( For a discussion of Inca population , see Inca Empire . ) Beginning of the conflict . The civil war between Atahualpa and Huascar would weaken ( and perhaps more importantly , distract ) the empire immediately prior to its struggle with the Spanish , although it is unclear how much of a difference a united Inca Empire would have made in the long term due to factors such as disease , and to the fact that the Inca military technology was vastly inferior to that of the Spaniards , who possessed horses , metal armor , swords , cannons , and primitive , but effective , firearms . It appears that of the two brothers , Atahualpa was probably more popular with the people , and certainly so with the army , the core of which was based in the recently conquered northern province of Quitu . At the outset of the conflict each brother controlled his respective domains , with Atahualpa secure in the north , and Huáscar controlling the capital of Cuzco , and the large area to the south , including the area around Lake Titicaca that supplied large numbers of troops for his forces . After a period of diplomatic posturing and jockeying for position open warfare soon broke out . Huáscar seemed poised to bring the war to a rapid conclusion , when troops loyal to him took Atahualpa prisoner while he was attending a festival in the city of Tumibamba . However , Atahualpa quickly escaped and returned to Quitu . There he was able to amass what is estimated to be at least thirty thousand soldiers . While Huáscar managed to muster about the same number of soldiers , his soldiers were less experienced . Atahualpa sent his forces south under the command of two of his leading generals , Challcuchima and Quisquis , who won an uninterrupted series of victories that soon brought them to the very gates of Cuzco . On the first day of the battle for Cuzco , the forces loyal to Huáscar gained an early advantage . However , on the second day Huáscar personally led an ill - advised " surprise " attack , knowledge of which had been obtained by Challcuchima and Quisquis . In the ensuing battle Huáscar was captured , and resistance completely collapsed . The victorious generals immediately sent word north by chasqui messenger to Atahualpa , who had moved south from Quitu to the royal resort springs outside Cajamarca . The messenger arrived with news of the final victory on the same day Pizarro and his small band of adventurers , together with some Indian allies , descended from the Andes into the town of Cajamarca . Arrival of Pizarro . Francisco Pizarro and his brothers ( Gonzalo , Juan , and Hernando ) were attracted by the news of a rich and fabulous kingdom , escaping like many migrants throughout the centuries from the today impoverished Extremadura . In 1529 , Francisco Pizarro obtained permission from the Spanish Monarchy to conquer the land they called Peru . According to historian Raúl Porras Barrenechea , Peru is not a Quechuan nor Caribbean word , but Indo - Hispanic or Hybrid . Unknown to Pizarro , as he was lobbying for permission , his proposed enemy was being devastated by the diseases brought to the American continents by the earlier Spanish contacts . When Pizarro arrived in Peru in 1532 , he found it vastly different than when he had been there just five years before . Amid the ruins of the city of Tumbes , he tried to piece together the situation before him . From two young local boys who he had taught how to speak Spanish in order to translate for him , Pizarro learned of the civil war and of the disease that was destroying the Inca Empire . After four long expeditions , Pizarro established the first Spanish settlement in northern Peru , calling it San Miguel de Piura . When first spotted by the natives , Pizarro and his men were thought to be " viracocha cuna " or " gods " . The Indians described Pizarro ' s men to the Inca . They said that " capito " was tall with a full beard and was completely wrapped in clothing . The Indians described the men ' s swords and how they kill sheep with them . The men do not eat human flesh , but rather sheep , lamb , duck , pigeons , and deer , and cook the meat . Atahualpa was fearful of what the white men were capable of . If they were " runa quicachac " or " destroyers of peoples " then he should flee . If they were " viracocha cuna runa allichac " or " gods who are benefactors of the people " then he should not flee , but welcome them . The messengers went back to Tangarala and Atahualpa sent Cinquinchara , an Orejon warrior , to the Spanish to serve as an interpreter . After traveling with the Spanish , Cinquinchara returned to Atahualpa and they discussed whether or not the Spanish men were gods . Cinquinchara decided they were men because he saw them eat , drink , dress , and have relations with women . He saw them produce no miracles . Cinquinchara informed Atahualpa that they were small in numbers , about 170 – 180 men , and have Indians bound with " iron ropes " . Atahualpa asked what to do about the men , and Cinquinchara replied that they should be killed because they are evil thieves who take whatever they want and are " supai cuna " or " devils " . He recommended trapping the men inside of their sleeping quarters and burning them to death . At this point in time Pizarro had 168 men under his command : 106 on foot and 62 on horses . Then , Pizarro sent his captain Hernando de Soto to invite Atahualpa to a meeting . Soto rode to meet Atahualpa on his horse , an animal that Atahualpa had never seen before . With one of his young interpreters , Soto read a prepared speech to Atahualpa telling him that they had come as servants of God to teach them the truth about God ' s word . He said he was speaking to them so that they might " lay the foundation of concord , brotherhood , and perpetual peace that should exist between us , so that you may receive us under your protection and hear the divine law from us and all your people may learn and receive it , for it will be the greatest honor , advantage , and salvation to them all . " Atahualpa responded only after Hernando Pizarro arrived . He responded with what he had heard from his scouts , that Pizarro and his men were killing and enslaving countless numbers on the coast . Pizarro denied the report and Atahualpa , with limited information , reluctantly let the matter go . At the end of their meeting , the men agreed to meet the next day at Cajamarca . Capture of Atahualpa . After his victory over his brother , Atahualpa began his southward march from Quito to claim the Inca throne in Cuzco . Atahualpa had heard tales of " white bearded men " ( i . e . the Spanish and Portuguese ) . Some accounts say that Atahualpa sent messengers with presents to Pizarro and his men to induce them to leave , and others contend that it was Pizarro who sent a messenger to Atahualpa requesting a meeting . Most accounts agree , however , that Atahualpa met with Pizarro voluntarily . Atahualpa and his forces met with the Spaniards at Cajamarca on the evening of 15 November . Rather than meeting with Atahualpa himself , Pizarro sent Hernando de Soto , friar Vincente de Valverde and native interpreter Felipillo to speak with the Inca leader . De Soto spoke with Atahualpa for a while and told them that they were emissaries from King Charles I of Spain . They also said they came in peace and were prepared to serve him against his enemies . Atahualpa nearly scoffed at that as he believed their behavior was not what one would expect of embassies and emissaries . In fact he knew of their earlier atrocities against the nuns dedicated to serve the god Inti in his temple . He demanded a full accounting of their behavior in his country and an apology from their leader Pizarro . He did however agree to meet with them in the city the next day . De Soto noticed the sight of his horses were unnerving some of the Inca ' s attendants so with an incredible display of horsemanship , he performed the tricks an experienced horseman would do . He stopped short of the Inca with the horse just inches away from Atahualpa . While this frightened the attendants , the Inca was unblinking . This told the Spaniards that they were not dealing with a fearful one like Moctezuma II in Mexico and it gave them even more fear the night of the 15th and early on the 16th . Atahualpa displayed hospitality by serving chicha and agreed to meet Pizarro the following day . The next morning , Pizarro had his men strategically placed around the square where they were to meet . When Atahualpa came with 7 , 000 unarmed soldiers and attendants , Friar Valverde spoke with him about the Spanish presence in his lands as well as engaged in a poorly executed attempt to explain to him the precepts of the Catholic religion , an attempt which was certainly not helped by an unskilled translator . After doing so , he offered Atahualpa a Bible in the expectation that he and his men would immediately convert to Christianity in preference to being considered an enemy of the Church and Spain by the Spanish Crown . Atahualpa stated that he was no one ' s vassal and asked where they got their authority . A popular but widely disputed legend states that Valverde pointed to the Book saying that it contained God ' s word and handed it over to Atahualpa . Supposedly , when the Inca was presented with the Book he shook it close to his ear and asked " Why doesn ' t it speak to me ? " Having literally never seen a book before , he then threw the unfamiliar object aside . Supposedly , this is what gave the Spanish a reason to attack , starting the Battle of Cajamarca on 16 November 1532 . Though the historical accounts relating to these circumstances vary , the true motivations for the attack seemed to be a desire for loot and flat - out impatience , in that the Inca did not adequately understand the conquistador s ' demands . Pizarro executed Atahualpa ' s 12 - man honor guard and took the Inca captive at the so - called Ransom Room , where they demanded one room full of gold and two of silver to be exchanged for Atahualpa . The fact that such a small number of Spanish troops were able to defeat the thousands Inca warriors at Cajamarca is attributable to many factors , among them that the Spanish had caballeros , cannon and guns while the Inca had only rustic armament . The Inca Empire also had a highly centralized chain of command directly related to the emperor ' s well - being or military victories which created a fictional perception of how the various gods perceived the Inca to either soldiers or commoners alike . This meant that once the Spaniards held the emperor hostage , they effectively paralyzed the empires ' forces for a time . At the signal to attack , the Spaniards unleashed volleys of gunfire at the vulnerable mass of Incas and surged forward in a concerted action . The effect was devastating , the shocked Incas offered such feeble resistance that the battle has often been labeled a massacre with the Inca losing 2 , 000 dead compared to five of Pizarro ' s men . Contemporary accounts by members of Pizarro ' s force explain how the Spanish forces used a cavalry charge against the Inca forces , who had never seen horses , in combination with gunfire from cover ( the Inca forces also had never encountered guns before ) . Other factors in the Spaniard ' s favor were their steel swords , helmets and armor , against the Inca forces which only had leather armor and crude armament . The Spanish also had three small cannon which were used to great effect on the crowded town square . The first target of the Spanish attack was the Inca Emperor and his top commanders ; once these had been killed or captured the Inca forces were disorganized as the command structure of the army had been effectively decapitated . The majority of Atahualpa ' s troops were in the Cuzco region along with Quisquis and Challcuchima , the two generals he trusted the most . This was a major disadvantage for the Inca and their undoing was due to a lack of self - confidence , and a desire to make public demonstration of fearlessness and godlike command of situation . The main view is that the Inca were eventually defeated due to inferior weapons , ' open battle ' tactics , disease , internal unrest , the bold tactics of the Spanish , and the capture of their emperor . While Spanish armour was very effective against most of the Andean weapons , it was not impenetrable to maces , clubs , or sling s . However , ensuing hostilities like the Mixtón Rebellion , Chichimeca War , and Arauco War would require that the conquistadors ally with friendly tribes in these later expeditions . The battle began with a shot from a cannon and the battle cry " Santiago ! " Many of the guns used by the Spaniards were hard to use in the close - combat situations that the Spanish found themselves in , and most natives adapted in ' guerrilla fashion ' by only shooting at the legs of the conquistadors if they happened to be unarmored . During Atahualpa ' s captivity , the Spanish , although greatly outnumbered , forced him to order his generals to back down by threatening to kill him if he did not . According to the Spanish envoy ' s demands , Atahualpa offered to fill a large room with gold and promised the Spanish twice that amount in silver . While Pizarro ostensibly accepted this offer and allowed the gold to pile up , he had no intention of releasing the Inca ; he needed Atahualpa ' s influence over his generals and the people in order to maintain the peace . Atahualpa feared that if Huáscar came into contact with the Spanish , he would be so useful to them that Pizarro would no longer need Atahualpa and have him killed . To avoid this , Atahualpa ordered Huáscar ' s execution , which took place not far from Cajamarca according to some chronicles . Others mentioned that Huáscar had been previously killed in battle , and a few others that Huáscar was killed before Pizarro ' s arrival . When Atahualpa was captured at the massacre at Cajamarca , he was treated with respect and is rumored to have learned from the Spanish soldiers the game of chess . Pizarro held Atahualpa for a ransom of gold and silver which began to arrive from Cuzco on 20 December 1532 and flowed steadily from then on . By 3 May 1533 Pizarro received all the treasure he had requested ; it was melted , refined , and made into bars . The question eventually came up of what to do with Atahualpa ; both Pizarro and Soto were against killing him , but the other Spaniards were loud in their demands for death . False interpretations from the interpreter Felipillo made the Spaniards paranoid . They were told that Atahualpa had ordered secret attacks and his warriors were hidden in the surrounding area . Soto went with a small army to look for the hidden army , but a trial for Atahualpa was held in his absence . Among the charges were polygamy , incestuous marriage , and idolatry , all frowned upon in Catholicism but common in the Inca religion . The men who were against Atahualpa ' s conviction and murder argued that he should be judged by King Charles since he was the sovereign prince . Atahualpa agreed to accept baptism to avoid being burned at the stake and in the hopes of one day rejoining his army and killing the Spanish ; ironically , he received the name Francisco . On 29 August 1533 Atahualpa was garrotted and died a Christian . He was buried with Christian rites in the church of San Francisco at Cajamarca , but was soon disinterred . His body was taken , probably at his prior request , to its final resting place in Quito . Upon de Soto ' s return he was furious because he never found a trace of evidence of the secret gathering of Atahualpa ' s warriors . Having deprived the Inca empire of leadership , Pizarro and another conquistador , Hernando de Soto , moved south to Cuzco , the heart of Tawantinsuyu , which they captured in November 1533 ; they then led their men in an orgy of looting , pillaging , and torture in search of more precious metals . Benalcázar , Pizarro ' s lieutenant and fellow Extremaduran , had already departed from San Miguel with 140 - foot soldiers and a few horses on his conquering mission to Ecuador . At the foot of Mount Chimborazo , near the modern city of Riobamba ( Ecuador ) he met and defeated the forces of the great Inca warrior Rumiñahui with the aid of Cañari tribesmen who served as guides and allies to the conquering Spaniards . Rumiñahui fell back to Quito , and , while in pursuit of the Inca army , Benalcázar encountered another , quite sizable , conquering party led by Guatemalan Governor Pedro de Alvarado . Bored with administering Central America , Alvarado had set sail for the south without the crown ' s authorization , landed on the Ecuadorian coast , and marched inland to the Sierra . Most of Alvarado ' s men joined Benalcázar for the siege of Quito . Rebellion and reconquest . The situation went quickly downhill . As things began to fall apart , many parts of the Inca Empire revolted , some of them joining with the Spanish against their own rulers . Many kingdoms and tribes had been conquered or persuaded to join the Inca empire . They thought that by joining the Spaniards , they could gain their own freedom . But these native people never foresaw the massive waves of Spaniard immigrants coming to their land and the tragedy that they would bring upon their people . After Atahualpa ' s execution , Pizarro installed Atahualpa ' s brother , Túpac Huallpa , as a puppet Inca ruler , but he soon died unexpectedly , leaving Manco Inca Yupanqui in power . He began his rule as an ally of the Spanish and was respected in the southern regions of the empire , but there was still much unrest in the north near Quito where Atahualpa ' s generals were amassing troops . Atahualpa ' s death meant that there was no hostage left to deter these northern armies from attacking the invaders . Led by Atahualpa ' s generals Rumiñahui , Zope - Zupahua and Quisquis , the native armies inflicted considerable damage on the Spanish . In the end , however , the Spanish succeeded in re - capturing Quito , effectively ending any organized rebellion in the north of the empire . Archaeological evidence of the rebellion incident exists . The remains of about 70 men , women , and adolescents were found in the path of a planned expressway near Lima in 2007 . Forensic evidence suggests that the natives were killed by European weapons , probably during the uprising in 1536 . Manco Inca initially had good relations with Francisco Pizarro and several other Spanish conquistadors . However , in 1535 he was left in Cuzco under the control of Pizarro ' s brothers , Juan and Gonzalo , who so mistreated Manco Inca that he ultimately rebelled . Under the pretense of performing religious ceremonies in the nearby Yucay valley , Manco was able to escape Cuzco . Diego de Almagro , originally one of Francisco Pizarro ' s party , returned from his exploration of Chile , disappointed in not finding any wealth similar to that of Peru . King Charles I of Spain ( Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ) had awarded the city of Cuzco to Pizarro , but Almagro attempted to claim the city nonetheless . Manco Inca hoped to use the disagreement between Almagro and Pizarro to his advantage and attempted the recapture of Cuzco during the spring of 1537 . The siege of Cuzco was waged until the following spring , and during that time Manco ' s armies managed to wipe three relief columns sent from Lima , but was ultimately unsuccessful in its goal of routing the Spaniards from the city . The Inca leadership did not have the full support of all its subject peoples and furthermore , the degrading state of Inca morale coupled with the superior Spanish siege weapons soon made Manco Inca realize his hope of recapturing Cuszo was failing . Manco Inca eventually withdrew to Vilcabamba after only 10 months of fighting , and therefore , the Spanish reinforcements from the Indies arriving under the command of Diego de Almagro eventually took the city once again without conflict . . After the Spanish regained control of Cuzco , Manco Inca and his armies retreated to the fortress at Ollantaytambo where he , for a time , successfully launched attacks against Pizarro based at Cuzco and even managed to defeat the Spanish in an open battle . However , when it became clear that defeat was imminent , they retreated further to the mountainous region of Vilcabamba , where the Manco Inca continued to hold some power for several more decades . His son , Túpac Amaru , was the last Inca . After deadly confrontations , he was murdered by the Spanish in 1572 . The Spaniards destroyed almost every Inca building in Cuzco , built a Spanish city over the old foundations , and proceeded to colonize and exploit the former empire . In total , the conquest took about forty years to complete . Many Inca attempts to regain the empire had occurred , but none had been successful . Thus the Spanish conquest was achieved through relentless force , legendary cruelty and deception , aided by factors like smallpox and a great communication and cultural divide . The Spaniards destroyed much of the Incan culture and introduced the Spanish culture to the native population . Aftermath . A struggle for power resulted in a long civil war between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro in which Almagro was killed . Almagro ' s descendants later avenged his death by killing Pizarro in 1541 . Despite the war , the Spaniards did not neglect the colonizing process . Spanish royal authority on these territories was consolidated by the creation of an Audiencia Real , a type of appellate court . In January 1535 , Lima was founded , from which the political and administrative institutions were to be organized . In 1542 , the Spanish created the Viceroyalty of New Castile , that shortly after would be called Viceroyalty of Peru . Nevertheless , the Viceroyalty of Peru was not organized until the arrival of a later Viceroy Francisco de Toledo in 1572 . Toledo ended the indigenous state of Vilcabamba , executing the Inca Túpac Amaru . He promoted economic development using commercial monopoly and built up the extraction from the silver mines of Potosí , using slavery based on the Inca institution of mandatory public service called " mita " . Effects of the conquest on people of the Empire . The long term effects of the arrival of the Spanish on the population of South America were simply catastrophic . While this is the case for every group of Native - Americans that encountered Europeans from the fifteenth century onwards , the Incan population suffered a dramatic and quick decline following contact . It is estimated that parts of the empire , notably the Central Andes , suffered a population decline ratio of 58 : 1 during the years of 1520 – 1571 . The single greatest cause of the demise of native populations was disease . Old World diseases brought over unknowingly by colonists and conquistadors wreaked havoc on native populations at a greater rate than any army or armed conflict . The fact that the Inca did not have as strong of a writing tradition as the Aztecs or Maya is one reason why it is more difficult to estimate population decline or any events after subjugation . However , it is apparent that illness from the Spaniards predated their actual presence in the region by several years . The outbreak , believed to be hemorrhagic smallpox , entered the Andes in 1524 . While numbers are unavailable , Spanish records indicate that the population was so devastated by disease that their forces could hardly be resisted . However , whether the illness of the 1520s was actually smallpox has been contested ; a minority of scholars claim that the epidemic was actually due to an indigenous illness called Carrion ' s disease . In any case , a study by N . D . Cook , the results of which were published in 1981 , show that the Andes suffered from three separate population declines during colonization . The first was of 30 – 50 percent during the first outbreak of smallpox . Then , when smallpox was followed with the measles , another decline of 25 – 30 percent occurred . Finally , when smallpox and measles appeared together , which occurred from 1585 to 1591 , a decline of 30 – 60 percent occurred . Collectively these declines amounted to a decline of 93 percent from the population pre - contact in the Andes region . Beyond the devastation of the local populations by disease , there was also considerable enslavement , pillaging and destruction from warfare . Thousands of women were taken from the local populations by the Spanish and used by conquistadors as personal vassals . As Pizarro and his men took over portions of South America they plundered and enslaved countless people . There are some Spanish documents that suggest that the local populations entered into vassalage willingly , but these are likely cases of people being threatened with death after the destruction of their region . The basic policy of the Spanish towards local populations was that voluntary vassalage would yield safety and coexistence while continued resistance would lead to more death and destruction . Another significant effect on the people in South America was the spread of Christianity . As Pizarro and the Spanish subdued the continent and brought it under their control , they forcefully converted many to Christianity , claiming to have educated them in the ways of the " one true religion . " With the destruction of the local populations along with the capitulation of the Inca Empire , the Spanish missionary work after colonization began was able to continue unimpeded . It took just a generation for the entire continent to be under Christian influence . In fiction . The conquest of the Incas is dramatized in Peter Shaffer ' s play " The Royal Hunt of the Sun " . In the play , Pizarro , Atahualpa , Valverde and other historical figures appear as characters . The conquest is also used as a " starting point of the cat " the Matthew Reilly novel " Temple " , where the siege of Cuzco is used . Many historical figures are mentioned , and the ( fictional ) brother of Pizarro who is mentioned as the pursuer of the protagonist . The Inca are featured in the third Campaign in " Age of Empires 3 " , having a Lost City hidden in the Andes . The player has to make his / her way through a blizzard in the mountains before reaching a verdant valley containing the hidden Inca City . They are also in the Multiplayer , found primarily in the areas making up Chile and Argentina . They have spearmen , bola - throwers , and have ( as upgrades ) , the great Inca road systems , cotton armor , and Chasquis messengers . This section of the Campaign is set after the conquest of the Inca , and the player has to fend off a separate attack similar to the Spanish Conquest . The conquest is also parodied in " The Simpsons " TV series , in the chapter " Lost Verizon " , written by John Frink .