Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro was killed in the year 1541 in Lima, Peru by a rival group of conquistadors fighting over spoils from the land. Pizarro was a man that helped change South America to what it is today. From his bastard pedigree, Pizarro was able to accomplish much in his lifetime, ultimately leading to his conquest of the Incan people. Pizarro was born as an illegitimate son to a Spanish nobleman named Gonzalo Pizarro Rodríguez de Aguilar. As in most places, bastards did not have many options available to them, which ultimately led him to joining the military. Pizarro fought in Italy for a few years before hearing of the riches to be found in the Americas. In 1502, Pizarro joined a colonization group heading to the Americas led by Nicolás de Ovando(“Who was Francisco Pizarro”). Little is known of what Pizarro did on this expedition, most just saying various Spanish duties. Pizarro went on to various other settlements and assignments until 1524. Pizarro reached an agreement with Priest Hernando de Luque and fellow soldier Diego de Almagro to explore and conquer the lands to the south of Panama. On September 13, 1524, the first expedition left Panama with eighty men. The expedition was full of hardships and failure, which included Almagro losing an eye to an arrow shot. Fearing further failures, Pizarro chose to return to Panama and end his first expedition. In August of 1526, his group set sail again with double the men. They made it much farther down the coast to the San Juan River. There the group split and Pizarro led the expedition further inland while Almagro went back to Panama to recruit more men. The other ship continued sailing south where it eventually found and captured a small boat of native people who had many pieces of precious metal and other local goods and items. After finding the locals, they returned north and sailed up the San Juan River where they found the expedition force exhausted from the hard terrain they had been crossing. At close to the same time, Almagro returned with another eighty fresh men. With their renewed force and excellent news from the ship that continued south, the expedition decided to sail south again to the lands near where they had captured the natives only to find a very large group of warlike Indian people. Not wanting to have to fight the large group, Pizarro and thirteen others stayed on a nearby island and waited for Almagro to head back to Panama and bring back even more men. After hearing of more deaths to the expeditions men due to disease and nature, the governor of Panama refused to send more reinforcements and decided to send two ships to retrieve Pizarro and his men off La Isla Gorgona. Upon reaching Pizarro, it was decided to ignore the Governors demand to return and head south. After arriving in Tumbes, the Spaniards were able to finally boast some success as well as a hearty welcome from the Tumpis people who inhabited the area. Eighteen months after the expedition began, they returned to Panama. The Governor of Panama refused Pizarro a third expedition, so he returned to Spain to get approval from the King. After meeting with the King and showing him the riches from the lands he explored, the King, who was delighted, promised support to Pizarro conquering the lands. Before he signed the documents, the King had to leave to conduct other business. In the absence of the King, Isabella of Portugal signed the document allowing Pizarro to conquer Peru and making him Governor of the land.
In 1532, Pizarro landed in Ecuador where he procured many precious stones and metals and also had a confrontation with the Punian Indians. Many Indians were wounded or killed. Soon after the battle, Pizarro met with Hernando de Soto and his men and together they sailed south to the Tumbes coast, which was deserted. He would later discover that the Punian Indians had raided the land. Pizarro along with de Soto moved their forces inland where they developed a settlement that they named San Miguel de Piura. While the settlement was under development, de Soto and his men went out to explore the surrounding lands. A few days later he returned with a representative of Atahualpa, the Incan Emperor, who informed Pizarro that the Incans were in a great civil war. The war was between Atahualpa and Huascar, both sons of Huayna Capac the deceased Emperor of the Inca. Pizarro used this war to conquer the Inca using the Inca’s enemies as well as diseases that were unknown to the natives. After Huascar was defeated and killed by Atahualpa’s forces, Pizarro marched his forces to hot springs near Cajamarca in order to set up a meeting with Atahualpa. Atahualpa refused to meet saying he would "be no man's tributary." Pizarro and his force attacked Atahualpa’s forces defeating them and taking Atahualpa prisoner. Atahualpa paid a large ransom to Pizarro to be freed, however Pizarro decreed that Atahualpa had murdered his brother and had conspired against Pizarro and his men and was killed for his “crimes.” One year later, Pizarro had completed his conquest of the Inca’s by taking the city of Cusco. In 1534, Pizarro founded the city of Lima as the Spanish capital of Peru (“Francisco Pizarro”).
Troubles brewed between Pizarro’s brothers and Almagro over disputes between land rights, specifically the city of Cusco. The two feuded for a time until Francisco Pizarro sent an army into the mountains to confront Almagro. Pizarro’s forces were victorious and after the battle Almagro was tried sentenced and executed.
Almagro’s son, Diego de Almagro, was very upset by what happened to his father. On June 26th, 1541, Diego de Almagro alongside Juan de Herrada, entered Francisco Pizarro’s home and killed him ("Who Was Francisco Pizarro?").
Francisco Pizarro is known as a conqueror and many of his deeds are looked down on as barbaric, such as killing and murdering on a whim and allowing native Indians to die by the score of diseases his men and himself brought to the lands. There are many current Peruvians who are disgusted by the statues and stories that Pizarro left behind. However, all can agree that the land of Peru would be a far different place today if he had not conquered the Inca and founded the city of Lima, Peru.

"Who Was Francisco Pizarro?" About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

"Francisco Pizarro." - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

"Francisco Pizarro Timeline." Timetoast. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.