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Atahualpa Biography

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ATAHUALPA, ä'ta-wäl'pa (?-1533). Inca of Peru. He was the favorite son of Huayna Capac, who, upon his death-bed made Atahualpa King of Quito, while Huascar, his eldest son, received Peru (1525). In the spring of 1530 Atahualpa, incensed at Huascar's demand for homage, declared war against him and completely defeated Huascar on the plains of Quipaypan, in the neighborhood of Cuzco, the native Peruvian capital, in 1532, a few months before the arrival of the Spaniards. Huascar was taken prisoner and confined in the strong fortress of Xauxa. Then followed, according to Garcilasso de la Vega, a series of atrocious massacres of all the royal family of the Incas. The extent of these massacres was undoubtedly grossly exaggerated by the surviving relatives of the victims, from whom Garcilasso derived his information; but there seems to be no sufficient reason for doubting that Atahualpa killed all whom he had reason to fear as future rivals. In the meantime the Spaniards had disembarked at Tumbez, and after a perilous march through the unknown country, Pizarro, at the head of his 200 cavaliers, approached the victorious camp of Atahualpa, where he found some 50,000 men assembled. By a stratagem Pizarro obtained possession of the person of the King. Atahualpa was treated with a great show of kindness at first, and more especially when he offered, as a ransom, to fill the room in which he stood with gold as high as he could reach. When Atahualpa's brother, Huascar, who was still a prisoner, heard of this, he offered still more advantageous terms for himself. To prevent this Atahualpa had him secretly assassinated. The golden treasure which was to constitute the ransom of Atahualpa now began to pour in, and at length Atahualpa demanded his freedom. This Pizarro refused to grant and accused Atahualpa of plotting against him. Atahualpa was placed on trial and formally condemned to death upon evidence furnished by an interpreter, who was desirous of possessing one of the wives of the King. He was threatened with burning at the stake as a heretic, but, as he submitted to baptism according to the rites of the Church, he was garroted, Aug. 29, 1533. The principal authority is Garcilasso de la Vega's Royal Commentaries of the Incas, trans. by C. R. Markham for the Hakluyt Society (London, 1869-81). Garcilasso's mother was of the Inca blood, or, according to more probable authority, one of the royal concubines.