Francisco Pizarro

The explorer and conquistador Spanish Francisco Pizarro was the person who helped Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovering the Pacific Ocean, and then make time to conquer Peru in 1532 with his brothers, he founded his capital city, Lima. With the conquest of Lima, Francisco Pizarro helped the Spanish empire gain control of South America by conquering the great Inca Empire in Peru . The promise of wealth and adventure in the New World led Francisco Pizarro to become one of the most victorious conquerors of Spain, he was even known as the ” conqueror “. Pizarro made several expeditions throughoutSouth America , gaining land and wealth for Spain. His travels took him across the Atlantic Ocean or, through rainforests, mountains, and the coastal deserts of South America. Pizarro is well known for his assassination of the Inca king, Atahualpa , and for the conquest of the Inca Empire. But what he really did was establish the Spanish roots for the conquest and colonization of Peru .

Biography of Francisco Pizarro

Pizarro was the illegitimate son of Captain Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisca González , a young woman of very humble origin, for this reason it is believed that he was an illegitimate son . He was born in 1476, in Trujillo, Spain . His father was Captain Gonzalo Pizarro, who was a poor farmer , and his mother, Francisca, a housewife . He spent much of his life living in his grandparents’ house and as a child he never learned to read. According to the stories, for a time he worked with pigs, a highly unlikely possibility since this was a common occupation for children in that region. Without a doubt, he managed to take part in the local manorial wars and, when this was finished, he most likely went to fight in Italy .

Pizarro was not called much by the sedentary life that the colonizer generally led , and for this reason in 1510 he enrolled in an expedition of the explorer Alonso de Ojeda to Urabá in Colombia . People thought he was a tough, quiet, and seemingly unambitious man who could be trusted in difficult situations. Three years later, as captain, he participated in an expedition led by the explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa that was credited with the European discovery of the Pacific Ocean . Between the years 1519 to 1523 he served as mayor andmagistrate of the newly founded city of Panama , accumulating a small fortune. In 1513, Pizarro joined the conqueror Vasco Núñez de Balboa on his march to the ” South Sea “, crossing the isthmus of Panama. During their voyage, Balboa and Pizarro discovered what is now known as the Pacific Ocean , although he was apparently the one who sighted the sea first, and was therefore credited with the first European discovery of the ocean.

In 1524, Pizarro began working with the navigator named Diego de Almagro and with a priest named Fernando de Luque . The first of his reconnaissance trips reached the San Juan River .  On the second trip he gave Pizarro the opportunity to explore further south along the coast. In 1528, Pizarro returned to Spain and managed to get a commission from the Emperor Carlos V . Pizarro was to conquer the southern territory and establish a new Spanish province there. In 1532, accompanied by his brothers, Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader Atahualpa and conquered Peru. Three years later, he founded the new capital, Lima.

Travels of Francisco Pizarro

In 1510, Pizarro along with Alonso de Ojeda and 300 other settlers went on an expedition to start a colony on the coast of South America . They established San Sebastián, which is now Colombia . Francisco Pizarro remained in charge during Ojeda’s absence. Many of the settlers became ill and died so Pizarro and the other survivors from San Sebastián left the settlement and established a new colony in Darién , in what is now Panama . The following year, Pizarro began serving the new governor of Panama, Pedrarias Dávila . In 1519, Pizarro was ordered to arrest Balboa, Dávila’s rival who was arrested and later executed. Pizarro was rewarded and eventually earned a fair amount of wealth and land , which gave him status in the New World. He served as mayor of the city of Panama for several years after.

Conquests of Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro was the man who managed to conquer Peru , and with it, the Inca Empire . He also participated in the conquest of Cajamarca and Cuzco , the founding of Lima and in various confrontations that occurred with Spaniards who were divided by ambitions and resentments.

Death

Pizarro was stabbed to death by other of his Spanish companions in his palace located in Lima , Peru. His group of Spaniards had already done some betrayals. The son of Almagro was who led the interruption of the palace and wounded Pizarro with many stab wounds, cutting his throat.

Achievements

Among his main achievements we can say that Francisco Pizarro increased the control that Spain had over South America . His desire for wealth and power led him to become one of the greatest conquerors of the New World . His capture and execution of the Inca ruler caused the Inca Empire to end, today, this event is seen as an unfortunate event that wiped out an important culture . He helped explore and colonize various parts of South America . His achievements are still visible today. The city of Lima that Pizarro named and established today is the capital of Peru .

What city did Francisco Pizarro founded?

Pizarro founded the city of Lima, which is the capital of Peru today.