PIZARRO Everyone has heard of Christopher Columbus, most people have heard of Hernado Cortes, and a good deal of people have heard of Balboa. But most people probably haven't heard of Francisco Pizarro. He was a greedy, smart man who wanted nothing more than to have the entire world's riches, (and he would kill for it). He may sound like Captain Hook, but he actually was a Spanish conquistador who lived from 1475 to 1541, and affected a lot of Latin America (probably just as much as the other guys). He is responsible for the conquest of Peru, which affected the entire world, and for the deaths of many Inca. Many people think of Pizarro as a blood-thirsty maniac, who was greedy and would kill to get what he wanted. Many people also think of Pizarro as a man who wanted to help Spain by gaining land. Pizarro effected lots of Latin America because he (literally) destroyed the Incas, a large empire that meant no harm to the Spanish. He did it in a way that is considered cruel and mean. He took the Inca (Atahuallpa) hostage. He asked for a room full of gold and silver. He got it, then he executed the Inca. This made many people mad, including the Spanish. The following is the life of Francisco Pizarro: He was born in 1475 an illegitimate son of a Spanish captain. In 1502 he went with the governor of Hispaniola to Hispaniola. That is where he got his first look at the resources and labor to be found in Latin America. He was in part of the expedition with Columbus in 1510. In 1513 he accompanied Balboa in a journey to find the Pacific Ocean. From 1519 to 1523 he served as a mayor for a city in Panama. In 1523 Pizarro hired two friends to help him conquer Indian tribes and try to find treasure. They hired men, and they then went on their voyage to South America. The first expedition was a disaster, and the second expedition (in 1526) made it to Panama, and from there Pizarro sent Almagro (a trusted soldier), back to get reinforcements. Instead, the governor of Panama sent for Pizarro to retreat. But Pizarro refused. He then convinced the governor to give him one vessel. After his expedition was successful for a while, he made it all the way to the coast of Peru. He then asked the king of Spain for permission to conquer the land, and the king excepted. After Pizarro conquered all of the little tribes, he went to a huge Inca city and talked to some of the head people of the Inca, Atahuallpa. Then Pizarro tried to convert Atahuallpa to Christianity, and when he refused, Pizarro seized the Inca and slaughtered 2,000 Indians. He then asked for a ransom for the Inca, and once he received it he executed Atahuallpa. This made Spain ashamed, and many people thought that this was an extremely cruel thing to be done. This affected Latin America because the ransom was a room full of gold and silver, and lots of people think that it still isn't found. Many people have written stories having to do with this. After executing the Inca leader, Pizarro took control of Peru, and let Almagro help him rule. Then Pizarro and Almagro argued over some territory, and Pizarro had Almagro executed. Then, in the city of Lima, some of Almagro's followers assassinated Pizarro. In conclusion, I thought that Pizarro affected Latin America by showing the world the greed some people had for possession. Obviously, by decimating many of the Inca, and killing the Inca himself, this affected the Inca and many of the other neighboring tribes/civilizations. Do you think that Pizarro did the right thing by executing the Inca? What about refusing to retreat his mission? Do you think Pizarro was a stupid person who made a lot of mistakes, or did he generally know what he was doing?