Conquistadors by John Pemberton

Author:John Pemberton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canary Press eBooks Ltd
Published: 2011-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Atahuallpa and The Ransom Room

The Inca king rapidly recovered his composure after the disaster at Cajamarca. He knew that what the Spanish really lusted after was gold, and he knew that he could provide that for them in vast quantities. So as soon as Pizarro visited him in the prison in which he was now being held, Atahuallpa attempted to strike a deal. The offer he made to the Conquistadors to secure his freedom left them dumbstruck:

…Atahuallpa said that being the Governor’s prisoner he hoped to be well treated, and promised, as ransom, to fill a certain room… with gold vessels and pieces and more silver than could be carried away. When this offer was interpreted to him the Governor was amazed and quite incredulous. Atahuallpa repeated it, however, and said that he would give even more. The Governor promised to treat him very well, and Atahuallpa expressed great gratitude. He then sent messengers to all parts of the country, and to Cuzco in particular, to collect the gold and silver he had promised as his ransom. The promise was so great that its fulfillment seemed impossible. For he had undertaken to fill a very large room in the royal apartments of Cajamarca with gold vessels to the height his hand could reach when he stood upright…

The room Atahuallpa offered to fill with gold still stands today, if the folk-tales of the people of Cajamarca are to be believed. As early as the seventeenth century tourists were being shown around it to marvel at the scale of the ransom that Atahuallpa pledged to Pizarro. A faint line cut in the wall shows the high tide mark of the sea of gold that flowed into Cajamarca from across the Inca kingdom. Perhaps the chronicles exaggerate when they speak of a room 5 metres wide and 6.7 metres long (17 ft by 22 ft long) that was to be filled to a height of 2.7 metres (9 ft). Whatever the exact dimensions, it is clear that the Conquistadors did not believe that it was possible for Atahuallpa to deliver on his incredible promise. Pizarro may well have thought that it was a desperate ruse by Atahuallpa to stall for time while his forces massed to rescue him – and perhaps that was indeed what was planned. It seems more likely, however, that Atahuallpa genuinely believed that if he delivered enough gold to the Spanish they would be satisfied, and would leave. He did not realise that the Conquistadors’ thirst for gold was unquenchable.

As the room filled with treasure brought from all across Peru, Pizarro and Atahuallpa conversed about their different worlds and different gods. Atahuallpa rapidly learned Spanish, and the game of chess, which seems to have delighted him. Another game of chess was being played out by the two leaders, as each attempted to cover his weaknesses and move himself into a more favourable position. Pizarro, for his part, was acutely aware that he was still highly exposed so deep in Inca territory and with such a small force.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.