WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
Playwright and actor
Novelist
Writer and poet
Volleyball player
Italian-Peruvian naturalist and geographer
Singer and percussionist
Last Inca emperor
Politician, former prime Minister
Journalist and TV host
Poet
Inca warrior
Actor and comedian
Biophysicist
Poet
Doctor and researcher
Businessman, Interbank group
Journalist and writer
Poet and writer
Singer and songwriter
Writer
Film director, Berlin Golden Bear winner
Football player
Writer and journalist
Doctor and scientist
Photograph
Chess player
Industrialist
Former general
Specialist in public health
Actress and singer
Afro-Peruvian music singer
Mathematician and engineer
Indigenous chronicler
Neurologist and anthropologist
Painter
Football player
National hero, military leader
Intellectual and reformer
Chef and entrepreneur
Fashion designer
Singer-songwriter
TV presenter
Marathon runner
Indigenous Peruvian chronicler
Theologian
Former national team captain
Economist and former health minister
Inca princess
Writer and television host
Folk musician
Poet and guerrilla
Former UN secretary-general
Chef, known for fusion cuisine
Football player
Peruvian aviation pioneer
Poet and artist
Marxist philosopher and writer
Industrialist and businessman
Novelist and ethnologist
Painter and muralist
Opera tenor
Fashion designer
Cardinal of Lima
Peruvian tennis player
Football coach
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Military hero
War of the Pacific hero
The youngest mother in history
Politician
Creole music singer
Tennis player
Musician
Writer and politician
Politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party
Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
Archaeologist and anthropologist
Military leader and politician
Television host
Actress and singer
Contemporary sculptor
Women’s rights activist
Beauty queen
Astrophysicist
Heroine of independence
Mathematician and archaeologist
Historian and anthropologist
Military figure and historical figure
Fashion photographer
Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Politician
Revolutionary leader
Environmental activist
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Musician from Gaia band
War hero
Military leader and politician
Chef, known for Nikkei cuisine
Volleyball coach and former player
Environmental activist
Television personality
Writer
Football player
Epidemiologist and former health Minister
Inventor and aerospace pioneer
Soldier and inventor
Rock singer
Chef and co-owner of Central restaurant
Painter
Football player
TV presenter and actress
Actor
Writer and historian
Journalist and lawyer
Archaeologist, founder of Caral site
Monk and Saint
Saint, patron of Latin America
Physicist and engineer
World champion surfer
Actress
Oncologist
Singer, Latin Grammy winner
Former mayor of Lima
Singer
Actress
Former football player
Painter
Former football player
Painter
Inca leader
Archbishop, saint
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Revolutionary indigenous leader
Diplomat and intellectual
Sculptor and painter
Political leader, founder of APRA
Lawyer and Former prime minister
Chef of Central restaurant
Former head of secret services
Popular singer
Fashion designer
Exotic music singer
Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, was born around 1502 in the city of Quito, in what is now Ecuador, at a time when the Inca Empire was at its height. He was the son of Emperor Huayna Cápac and a princess from Quito, giving him a special status from birth. However, his life was marked by rivalry with his half-brother Huáscar, a conflict that led to a civil war that weakened the empire at the crucial moment of the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
Atahualpa grew up in the imperial Inca court, where he was educated in the arts of war, politics, and religion. As the son of Huayna Cápac, he was entitled to a portion of the vast Inca Empire, which at the time stretched from southern Colombia to central Chile. However, after Huayna Cápac's death, the empire was divided between his two sons: Atahualpa and his half-brother Huáscar. Atahualpa was given control of the northern region, with his seat in Quito, while Huáscar ruled from Cuzco, the empire's traditional capital.
The division of the empire quickly turned into a bitter dispute between the two brothers. Huáscar, who saw himself as the rightful heir, demanded full control of the empire and declared war on Atahualpa. What followed was a brutal civil war that lasted several years and devastated much of the Inca territory. Atahualpa, a skilled military commander, managed to defeat Huáscar's forces in several battles and eventually captured his brother in 1532, consolidating his control over the empire.
However, Atahualpa's victory came at a fateful moment. While the Inca Empire was weakened by the civil war, the Spanish conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro, had arrived on the coasts of what is now Peru. This encounter marked the beginning of the end for the most powerful empire in South America.
In November 1532, Atahualpa was in the city of Cajamarca, in northern Peru, celebrating his victory over Huáscar when Pizarro and his men arrived in Inca territory. Despite warnings about the presence of the foreigners, Atahualpa underestimated the power of the conquistadors. Confident in the superiority of his army, he agreed to meet Pizarro in Cajamarca, unaware that the Spanish were planning an ambush.
The meeting between Atahualpa and the Spanish was an unprecedented clash of cultures. The Spanish, with their advanced technology, horses, and firearms, managed to capture the Inca emperor in a bold and violent maneuver. Despite the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Incas, the element of surprise and panic allowed the Spanish to seize control of the situation. Atahualpa was taken prisoner, and his capture marked the beginning of the fall of the Inca Empire.
During his captivity, Atahualpa attempted to negotiate his release by offering the Spanish an unprecedented ransom. He promised to fill a room with gold up to the height of his hand and two more rooms with silver in exchange for his freedom. The Spanish agreed to the deal, and treasures began arriving from all over the empire, representing the vast wealth of the Incas. However, despite fulfilling his part of the bargain, the Spanish had no intention of releasing Atahualpa.
The gold and silver collected by the Incas only served to increase the greed of the conquistadors. Meanwhile, Atahualpa remained a prisoner, and tensions among the Spanish about what to do with him grew. Ultimately, Pizarro, fearing that Atahualpa might organize a counterattack or that his release would strengthen Inca resistance, decided to condemn him to death.
On July 26, 1533, Atahualpa was executed in the plaza of Cajamarca. Initially, the Spanish had planned to burn him at the stake, a punishment considered especially cruel by the Incas, who believed the body had to remain intact for the afterlife. However, after agreeing to convert to Christianity in his final moments, Atahualpa was executed by garrote, a form of strangulation considered less painful.
Atahualpa's death not only marked the end of his life but also the beginning of the end for the Inca Empire. Although Inca resistance continued for several more years, the empire never recovered from the capture and execution of its leader. The Spanish, aided by indigenous factions hostile to the Incas, succeeded in conquering and subjugating much of the Inca territory in the following years.
Despite his tragic end, Atahualpa remains a central figure in the history of Peru and Latin America. He represents the last great Inca emperor, the leader of a civilization destroyed by the ambition and greed of European conquerors. His life and death are seen as a symbol of indigenous resistance to colonization.
In popular memory, Atahualpa is remembered not only as a warrior but also as a leader who attempted to negotiate peace and save his people. His tragic fate, caught between two worlds, remains one of the most poignant stories in the pre-Columbian and colonial history of South America.
Atahualpa was a man of great intelligence, skill, and courage, but his life was marked by tragedy. He was the last emperor of a vast empire that fell into the hands of a small group of Spanish conquistadors, thanks to a combination of betrayal, advanced technology, and the disadvantage of an empire weakened by civil war. His story serves as a warning of how ambition and violence can destroy even the most powerful civilizations. Today, his figure remains a symbol of pride and resistance for the Peruvian people and the indigenous peoples of Latin America.