Component A:
Francisco Pizarro
I choose for this weeks topic a Spanish Conquistador of Peru named Francisco Pizarro. I visited many web sites gathering information pertaining to Francisco Pizarros life. The one thing I did discover while reading through all the material was the discrepancies in dates. The text seemed to have no or very slight differences. As I walk you through this mans life I will be as accurate as history allows.
Early Life:
Pizarro was bone in Trujillo,in Estremadura, Spain. I had five years to choose from so I am picking the year 1474. He was the illegitimate son of Gonzalo and Francisca who never. There seemed to be no interest shown to him by is parents so his mothers parents and relatives who were very poor raised this neglected child. Pizarro never went to school therefore he never learned to read or with. He spent fifteen years herding pigs and then moved to the West Indies to what is now Haiti in 1502 to live with his fathers brother.
Expeditions:
Pizarro made several expeditions between the years of 1509-1524. He was with Balboa when he discovered the Pacific Ocean. He accompanied Ojeda to Columbia. He ventured on several expeditions to collect gold and treasures form the Natives in Veraquas and along the Pacific Coast. He made two trips along the western coast of South America. On one of these trips was borne the idea to explore the Incan Empire. The rumors and stories he had heard about their cities of gold had really entices greedy Pizarro to form an expedition southward.
Conquest of Peru:
Pizarro and 168-180 of his men set sail from Panama City in 1531 and landed at Tumbers. After ascending the Andes, a long and distressing journey , met with no opposition from the Indians while they were making their way to the Incan city of Cajamarca. In November of 1532 Pizarro and his men met with the Emperor of the Incan Empire, Atahualpa. Pizarro and his men then proceeded to kill and slaughtered the Incas. They destroyed their culture and ruined an entire civilization. Pizarro and his army killed everyone including the women and children. They also ruined most of their monuments, and wiped out the places where the Indians lived and worshiped. Most of the native leaders were killed, but Atahualpa survived only to be held for ransom. As the price of his release the Inca monarch offered his captives gold and silver (about 15,000,000 pesos). The emperors supporters agreed to fill a huge room with gold and two smaller rooms with silver to secure Atahualpss safe return to the throne. The deceitful Pizarro had promised to release their Ruler but the Spaniard had no intention of doing so. Pizarro knew that, in order to disrupt and conquer this well-run society, he must kill the Inca leader. There was a mock trial in which Atahualpa was found guilty. Pizarro did how ever offer Atahualpa two choices of death. He could elect to be burned alive as a heathen or to be strangled as a Christian. When the Inca ruler chose the latter, he was baptized Juan de Atahualpa in honor of St. John the Baptist. Then he was tied to a stake, killed and given a full-scale Catholic funeral. Pizarro extended his control by taking the Inca capital of Cuzco later in1533, with blood shed of course and also the execution of his former partner Diego de Almagro. He also founded Lima the capital of Peru in 1535.
Personal Life:
Pizarro had four children: a son whose name and the name of his mother are not known, and who died in 1544; Gonzalo by an Indian girl, Inés Huaillas Yupanqui, who was legitimized in 1537 and died when he was fourteen; by the same woman, a daughter, Francisca, who subsequently married after having been legitimized by imperial decree, together with her uncle Hernando Pizarro, 10 October, 1537; and a son, Francisco, by a relative of Atahuallpa, who was never legitimized, and died shortly after reaching Spain.
Death:
He was assassinated in Lime on June 26,1541 by followers of Almagros son.
Conclusion:
In nine years Pizarro had conquered and taken control of Peru for Spain. During this time he had killed over 2,000 Incan natives with his very own hands. Not to mention the lives taken by his army. I think Francisco Pizarro was a greedy and ruthless man who stopped at nothing to aquire his riches.
Since I visited so many web sites to gathering information it is hard to narrow my favorite links to just three but here goes.
www.newadvent.org/cathen/12140a.htm
www.worldhistory.com/pizarri.htm
www.fll.vt.edu/culture-civ/spanish/texts/spainlatinamerica/pizarro.htm
Component B:
Historical character: Diego de Almagro.
I would like to give just a little insight about myself in this journal writing. You know I never did learn to read or write so my friend will be penning my entries down for me.
It may seem a bit odd but I really do not know when or where I was born. Guess my parents didnt feel the need to record the birth of their son. But they may have not been literate either.
I did however grew up and move to Panama in 1514. I went on military expeditions and became very distinguished. I was asked to become partners with this explorer named Francisco Pizarro along with Hernando de Leque in 1524. What an interesting proposition. Something that I can not turn down. We are going to demolish the Incan Empire and steel all their gold. We are going to become filthy rich and very powerful. A dream come true.
Months have gone by and I havent written in my journal. We have been so busy getting ready for our invasion of the Incan Empire. This is going to be like taking candy from a baby. What stupid, uncivilized people they are.
Wow, those uncivilized Indians are more civilized than I thought. Two attempts to conquer and we failed. I cant believe it. But none to worry. Me, Diego de Almagro will prevail!!
I wont let those degenerate Indians get the best of me. We are going to the King of Spain and get all the provisions needed to destroy those ignorant people.
We won, we won we slaughtered those Incan people. You should have seen the looks on those women and childrens faces as they were being destroyed. We killed and demolished everything and anything. Sweet victory was ours. But we did keep the King for ransom. Those stupid people actually think we are going to give them back their king. Not a chance. He will be slain. And all the gold will be all ours. All ours. Rich I tell you rich!!.
Some time has passed and it is the year 1535 time to collect all my wealth from my friend Pizarro. That dirty, greedy #$!#$$#$% stiffed me of my wealth. He is going to pay the price for that. Death. I say.. Death to him!
This is going to take a little thought. Revenge is mine and I need not falter.
The city of Cusco and its surroundings are mine and Pizarro seems to think he can stake claim to what is already mine. I am ready to give Pizarro his just reward. We are going to have a bloody battle but I will prevail.
Pizarros forces are stronger than I had anticipated. He is taking the upper hand and is coming to imprison me.
That stake looks very familiar to me. Wait. That is the same stake that Atahaulpa was killed on. That brutal, greedy, and evil man is going to kill me.
My birth, who knows, my death 1538.
