Pizarro and his small crew had meanwhile continued southward along the coast as far as the Santa River, when his men finally begged him not to go any further. There was no longer any question about the existence of another great Indian empire; everywhere they had landed, they had seen evidence of this civilization, and everywhere they had received the same stories of a powerful ruler and his golden city. But this small group of Spaniards could not profit by this discovery – there was no chance of any conquest. The only thing to do now was to return to Panama and hope for reinforcements and funding for a new expedition.
After an absence of nearly two years, Francisco Pizarro now returned to Panama, and his arrival caused a great sensation in the settlement. Most of the inhabitants had long since given up on the little ship and its crew; now they had not only returned safely, but even brought news of yet another rich empire. But Governor Rios was little impressed; when the three partners approached him, confidently seeking his patronage in an enterprise far beyond their own resources, he flatly refused. The governor had no intentions of building up other provinces at the expense of Panama, nor would he permit to waste any more lives and money at this capricious undertaking.
The partners were completely crushed by this rejection; without funds, their credit nearly exhausted by the past efforts, they could not possibly hope to undertake another voyage on their own. It was finally decided to apply directly to the one authority that would be interested in such an enterprise – the Spanish Crown. Pizarro, as the man most familiar with the kingdom of Peru, was chosen to represent the partners. They finally managed to raise enough money to outfit another vessel, and in the spring of 1528 Pizarro set out for Spain, accompanied by some Peruvian natives, a few llamas, and some gold and silver ornaments.
But this delegation arrived in Spain at the worst possible moment. This was the summer of 1528, and just arrived at the royal court had Hernando Cortes, laying at the feet of Charles V all the treasures of the Mexican empire; in the midst of such excitement, Pizarro was all but ignored. Charles V soon thereafter left for Italy, and the fate of the Peruvian empire was left to the consideration of the royal Council of the Indies. Little had changed at the court of Spain since the days of Christopher Columbus; Pizarro’s enterprise dragged on month after month while the desperate would-be conqueror saw his meager funds dwindle away. Not until July, 1529, was the plan for Peru finally approved.
The patent subsequently issued granted to Francisco Pizarro the sole right of discovery and conquest in the province of Peru, now called New Castile, and to assume the titles of Viceroy, Governor, and Captain-General. Diego de Almagro was made commander of the fortress of Tumbez, and Hernando de Luque was promoted bishop of Tumbez and Protector of the Indians of Peru. All were granted amazingly liberal salaries, though there was that one condition – all salaries were to be derived from the anticipated revenues of the conquered territory.
In January, 1530, Pizarro set out again for Panama with more than a hundred volunteers recruited in Spain, among them his own three brothers, Hernando, Gonzalo, and Juan. Hernando was the oldest of the brothers, the only one who seems to have received any kind of education. With a natural sense for business, he was to exercise great influence over his brother, but his character combined some of the worst traits of the Castilian – extremely jealous and impatient, arrogant and unforgiving in his resentment against those who he felt had slighted him, he was to cause a great deal of problems in Peru.
Though the enterprise was now finally on its way, Pizarro’s partners in Panama were understandably disappointed by many of the arrangements. Almagro, in particular, was unhappy that all the high and lucrative posts had been conferred on Pizarro. And when he saw so many of the Captain-General’s family coming to share in the anticipated glory and rewards, he felt himself thrust into the background. Though Pizarro tried to explain that he had had no choice but to accept the patent as offered by the crown, the groundwork for the troubles ahead had been laid.
The new expedition got off to a slow start. The colonists at Panama were only too familiar with the sufferings of the earlier attempts, and even with the riches of Peru dangling before them, few were willing to join the enterprise. Not until January, 1532, more than seven years after Pizarro had set out for the first time in search of Peru, did he and his brothers start out again with an advance of about 200 men and 50 horses. After several landfalls, they reached Tumbez with the first signs of spring, and were met by the news that a civil war had broken out in the Peruvian empire.
When Europeans had first become aware of the existence of Peru, the empire was ruled by Huayna Capac, who had greatly enlarged the Inca territory. But like all Inca rulers, Huayna Capac had scores of concubines, by whom he had a great many children, though his successor could only be Huascar, the son of his queen and sister. Next in line came Manco Capac, the son of another lawful wife. But Huayna Capac had other plans; among his many illegitimate offsprings was Atahualpa, the favorite of the Inca ruler. Atahualpa accompanied his father everywhere, slept in the same tent with him, and was served all the same foods. So fond was the Inca of this one son that he finally resolved to depart from the custom of his ancestors and divide his empire between Atahualpa and Huascar, his lawful son and heir. On his deathbed in 1525 he had declared that the ancient kingdom of Quito, which rivaled Peru in wealth and civilization, should go to Atahualpa, and the rest of the empire to Huascar.
For nearly five years after the death of Huayna Capac the royal brothers ruled over their allotted portions of the Inca empire without any apparent problems. But the inevitable occurred; hostilities broke out between the two rivals, and sometime in 1532, Atahualpa left his territory and marched on Cuzco. After a barbaric battle the city was defeated, and on Atahualpa’s orders the entire royal family was killed; only Huascar himself was kept alive in case he should be needed to govern the country.
It was at this precise point that Pizarro and his men appeared off the coast of Peru. While Atahualpa was on his way to a triumphal entry into Cuzco, couriers suddenly brought him the news that bearded white strangers had appeared from the sea, wearing shiny suits, riding unearthly monsters, and carrying deadly thunderbolts. The people everywhere regarded these strangers with great wonder and fear, but so far they appeared very friendly. Puzzled by such reports, Atahualpa decided to play it safe; a delegation was sent out to meet these mysterious visitors and welcome them with presents. Once again, the Spaniards had arrived with incredible luck and perfect timing; without the internal problems of the empire, the handful of Spaniards would have quickly been wiped out by the Inca warriors.
Pizarro’s men had meanwhile erected a small outpost called San Miguel near the mouth of the Piura River; reinforced by another hundred men from Panama under Hernando de Soto, a Spanish force of little more than 200 men finally set out to march inland. Atahualpa’s delegation found them in a small village at the foot of the Andes; they addressed Pizarro as ‘son of Viracocha’ and presented him with the gifts from their ruler. After assuring the Indians of Spanish friendship, they pushed on through the mountains to Caxamarca, where Atahualpa was waiting to receive them.