Francisco Pizarro: history and legend of the conquest of Peru

 With PILAR LATASA, Professor of American History

Imagine you are on a lonely beach in the Pacific. The heat, the humidity, the uncertainty. In front of you, a man draws a line in the sand with his sword. On one side, the security of returning home. On the other, the promise of riches and glory in an empire that no one has yet seen. Only thirteen men decide to cross that line. One of them is Francisco Pizarro.

Today, in this episode, we delve into the 16th century to learn about Pizarro's second voyage from Panama in search of Peru. It was not yet a conquest. It was something more fragile, more human: an adventure full of doubts, discoveries, betrayals and decisions that would change history.

With Pilar Latasa, professor of American History at the University of Navarra, we explore the great themes behind this expedition: courage, ambition and leadership.

Lessons learned from this episode:

• Reasons for Pizarro's second voyage (1526)

• The knowledge of Peru before the conquest

• The team and alliances

• Means of exploration and technical difficulties

• The journey and the first contacts with new lands

• The meeting with indigenous peoples

• The signs of a great empire

• Rooster Island and a line in the sand

• Pizarro's character and leadership

• Consequences and bequest of the second trip

 Listen to it on Spotify