Battle of Cajamarca The Battle of Cajamarca was the ambush and capture of the Inca ruler Atahualpa by Francisco Pizarro and a small Spanish force on November 16 , 1532 . The " battle " involved the massacre of thousands of Atahualpa ' s unarmed entourage of nobles and attendants , in the great plaza of Cajamarca . The seizure of Atahualpa marked the opening stage of the conquest of the pre - Columbian Inca civilisation of Peru . History . The confrontation at Cajamarca was the culmination of a months - long struggle involving espionage , subterfuge , and diplomacy between Pizarro and the Inca via their respective envoys . Atahualpa had received the invaders from a position of immense strength . Encamped along the heights of Cajamarca with a large force of battle - tested troops fresh from their victories in the civil war against his half - brother Huascar , the Inca felt they had little to fear from Pizarro ' s tiny army , however exotic its dress and weaponry . In a calculated show of goodwill , Atahualpa had lured the adventurers deep into the heart of his mountain empire where any potential threat could be met with a show of force . Pizarro and his men arrived on Friday November 15 . The town itself had been largely emptied of its two thousand inhabitants , upon the approach of the Spanish force of 150 men , guided by an Inca noble sent by Atahualpa as an envoy . Atahualpa himself was encamped outside Cajamarca , preparing for his march on Cuzco , where his commanders had just captured Huascar and defeated his army . Atahualpa , unlike Montezuma II in Mexico , knew immediately that these men were not gods nor representatives of gods , thanks to reports from his spies . According to Spanish sources , he planned to recruit a few of the conquistador es into his own service and to appropriate Spanish firearms and horses for his armies . The book " History Of The Conquest Of Peru " , written by 19th century author William H . Prescott , recounts the dilemma in which the Spanish force found itself . Any assault on the Inca armies overlooking the valley would have been suicidal . Retreat was equally out of the question , because any show of weakness might have undermined their air of invincibility , and would invite pursuit and closure of the mountain passes . Once the great stone fortresses dotting their route of escape were garrisoned , argued Pizarro , they would prove impregnable . But to do nothing , he added , was no better since prolonged contact with the natives would erode the fears of Spanish supernaturality that kept them at bay . Unlike his kinsman Hernán Cortés , whom Pizarro emulated and who could call on Spanish reinforcements 200 miles away in Veracruz , Pizarro ' s nearest Spanish reinforcements were 1 , 000 miles away in Panama . Preparations . Pizarro gathered his officers on the evening of November 15 and outlined a scheme that recalled memories of Cortés ' exploits in Mexico in its audacity : he would capture the emperor from within the midst of his own armies . Since this could not realistically be accomplished in an open field , Pizarro invited the Inca to Cajamarca . According to the chroniclers , no one slept that night and some even " wet themselves in their terror " . Atahualpa accepted this invitation . Leading a procession of over eighty thousand men , he advanced down the hillside very slowly the next day . Pizarro ' s fortunes changed dramatically in the late afternoon when Atahualpa announced that the greater part of his host would set up camp outside the walls of the city . He requested that accommodations be provided only for himself and his retinue , which would forsake its weapons in a sign of amity and absolute confidence . Shortly before sunset Atahualpa left the armed warriors who had accompanied him , on an open meadow about half a mile outside Cajamarca . His immediate party still numbered over seven thousand but were unarmed except for small battle axes intended for show . Atahualpa ' s attendants were richly dressed in what were apparently ceremonial garments . Many wore gold or silver discs on their heads and the main party was preceded by a group wearing livery of chequered colors , who sang while sweeping the roadway in front of Atahualpa . The Inca himself was carried in a litter lined with parrot feathers and partly covered in silver , carried by eighty Inca courtiers of high rank in vivid blue clothing . Atahualpa ' s intention appears to have been to impress the small Spanish force with this display of splendor and he had no anticipation of an ambush . The Spaniards had concealed themselves within the buildings surrounding the empty plaza at the centre of the town . After a brief pause Friar Vincente de Valverde , accompanied by an interpreter , emerged from the building where Pizarro was lodged . Carrying a cross and a missal the friar passed through the rows of attendants who had spread out to allow the Inca ' s litter to reach the centre of the square . Valverde approached the Inca and ordered him to accept Catholicism as his faith and Charles V , the Holy Roman Emperor as sovereign . Atahualpa was equally insulted and confused by the Spaniard ' s demands . Although Atahualpa likely had no intention of conceding to their demands , according to chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega he did attempt inquiry into the Spaniards ' faith and their king , but Pizarro ' s men began to grow impatient . Discussion ended abruptly when Atahualpa was offered a Bible but " did not know how to open it " . Valverde reached out to open it , but not wishing to be touched , Atahualpa " in great anger , gave him a blow on the arm . " Historical accounts differ as to whether the friar returned to Pizarro and related the incident , along with some demands by the Inca , after which Pizarro ordered the attack to begin , or whether he immediately turned to the hidden Spanish troops and exhorted them to attack in the name of the Church , absolving them of the murders to come . Either way , the Incan emperor ' s refusal to convert to Roman Catholicism was exploited by the conquistadors as an excuse to initiate a bloodbath . Juan de Betanzos however states that prior to being executed , Atahualpa accepted Christianity and was baptized and given the name Francisco . Inca account of events . Titu Cusi Yupanqui , son of Manco II and a nephew of Atahualpa , dictated the only Inca eyewitness accounts of the events leading up to the battle which have been generally discounted by historians as they do not match the Spanish accounts . On November 15 Atahualpa had received Pizarro and de Soto , offering them gold cups containing Chicha which they poured out on the ground . The Spaniards then gave Atahualpa a letter ( or book ) which they said was " quilca " ( image - writing ) of God and the king . Offended by the spilling of the chicha , Atahualpa threw the " letter or whatever it was " away , telling them to leave . Diego de Trujillo stated that Pizarro was given a gold cup while de Soto was offered a silver cup . Pizarro then told the ruler that de Soto was of equal rank and should be treated as such . On November 16 , Atahualpa arrived at Cajamarca " not with weapons to fight or armour to defend themselves , " although they did carry " tumis " ( ceremonial knives to kill llama s ) and some carried " ayllus " ( possibly bolas ) . The Spanish approached and told Atahualpa that Virococha had ordered them to tell the Inca who they were . Atahualpa listened then gave one ( de Valverde ? ) a gold cup of chicha which was not drunk and given no attention at all . Furious , Atahualpa stood and yelled " Since you pay no importance to me I wish nothing to do with you " on which the Spanish attacked . Titu Cusi did not mention the bible being offered on the day of the battle , an omission that has been explained as due either to its insignificance to the Inca or to Titu Cusi confusing the events of the two days . His account of the battle itself is heavily influenced by Inca mythology and ritualised . Atahualpa ' s Capture . At the signal to attack , the Spaniards unleashed gunfire at the vulnerable mass of Incans and surged forward in a concerted action . The effect was devastating and the shocked and unarmed Incans offered little resistance . Contemporary accounts by members of Pizarro ' s force explain how the Spanish forces used a cavalry charge against the Incan forces , who had never seen horses , in combination with gunfire from cover ( the Incan forces also had never encountered firearm s before ) combined with the ringing of bells to frighten the Inca . Other factors in the Spaniards ' favor were their steel swords , helmets , and armor as the Incan forces had only leather armor and were unarmed . The Spanish also had four small cannons commanded by a Greek artillery captain which were used to great effect in the crowded town square . The first target of the Spanish attack was Atahualpa and his top commanders . Pizarro rushed at Atahualpa on horseback , but the Inca remained motionless . The Spanish severed the hands or arms of the attendants carrying Atahualpa ' s litter to force them to drop it so they could reach him . The Spanish were astounded that the attendants ignored their wounds and used their stumps or remaining hands to hold it up until several were killed and the litter slumped . Atahualpa remained sitting on the litter while a large number of his attendants rushed to place themselves between the litter and the Spanish , deliberately allowing themselves to be killed . While his men were killing these Indians , Pizarro rode through them to where a Spanish foot soldier had pulled Atahualpa from the litter . While he was doing so , other soldiers also reached the litter and one attempted to kill Atahualpa . Recognizing the value of Atahualpa as a hostage , Pizarro defended him and received a sword wound to his hand . Atahualpa ' s wife , 10 - year - old Cuxirimay Ocllo , was with the army and stayed with him while he was imprisoned . Following his execution she was taken to Cuzco and took the name Dona Angelina . By 1538 she was Pizarro ' s mistress , bearing him two sons , Juan and Francisco . Following his assassination in 1541 she married the interpreter Juan de Betanzos who later wrote " Narratives of the Incas , " part one covering Inca history up to the arrival of the Spanish and part two covering the conquest to 1557 , mainly from the Inca viewpoint and including mentions of interviews with Inca guards who were near Atahualpa ' s litter when he was captured . Only the first 18 unpublished chapters of part one were known until the complete manuscript was found and published in 1987 .