Francisco Pizarro

Part I of Essay
was born in about 1476 in Trujillo, a small town near Caceres, Spain. The illegitimate son of a Spanish captain, he spent his childhood with his grandparents in one of Spain's poorest regions. He apparently never learned to read or write. The conquest of Peru by an obscur ....

Part II of Essay
.... of the town of Panama. In 1523, hearing of a vast and wealthy Indian empire to the south, Pizarro enlisted the help of two friends to form an expedition to explore and conquer the land. A soldier named Diego de Almagro provided the equipment, and the vicar of Panama, Hernando de Luque, furnished the funds. A first expedition resulted in disaster after two years of suffering and hardship. When a second expedition in 1526 fared little better, Pizarro sent Almagro back to Panama for reinforcements. He and part of the group remained ....