The Rest Is History

648. The Fall of the Incas: Battle for the Sacred City (Part 5)

March 2, 2026

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  • The initial period of Manco Inca's puppet emperorship was marked by an illusion of harmony, which quickly fractured due to the Spaniards' escalating greed, mistreatment of local women, and internal feuding among the conquistadors (Pizarro brothers vs. Almagro). 
  • Manco Inca's decision to rebel in 1536 was directly triggered by the extreme humiliation and abuse inflicted upon him and his family by the Pizarro brothers, Juan and Gonzalo, while Francisco Pizarro was away. 
  • The massive Incan uprising against Cusco, while initially overwhelming the Spaniards, ultimately failed to dislodge them due to the Spanish technological advantages (steel, cavalry) and the crucial, though often overlooked, support of rival indigenous groups allied with the conquistadors. 
  • The rivalry between the Spanish factions, particularly Almagro's hatred for the Pizarros, was a greater factor in the immediate political maneuvering than the unified opposition of the Inca, Manco. 
  • Manco Inca's attempt to leverage the Spanish civil war failed when his test of Almagro's loyalty—demanding the execution of Spanish scouts—proved Almagro would ultimately side with his countrymen, leading Manco to retreat to Vilcabamba. 
  • Diego de Almagro successfully seized Cusco, imprisoned Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro, and installed Manco's half-brother, Paulu, as his own puppet Inca, fundamentally shifting the balance of power in the highlands. 

Segments

Manco’s Grievances Against Spanish Rule
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(00:02:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Manco Inca articulated a powerful indictment of Spanish rule, citing their greed, lack of shame, mistreatment of women, and intent to enslave the Inca population for mineral wealth.
  • Summary: Manco, addressing his kinsmen in 1535, described the Incas as having ruled justly, contrasting this with the Spaniards who plundered temples and treated locals like dogs. He noted their insatiable greed, stating that even if all the snow turned to gold and silver, it would not satisfy them. This speech served as the justification for the impending rebellion against the cruel foreign occupiers.
Manco’s Initial Position and Spanish Behavior
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(00:06:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Initially, Manco Inca was seen as a popular, noble adversary by Spanish chroniclers, but the Spanish distribution of encomiendas and increasing mistreatment of local women created widening fracture lines.
  • Summary: For the first six months after his installation, Manco’s coronation was deemed successful, and the Spanish reported favorably on his compliance. However, Pizarro began distributing landed estates (encomiendas) to his men, increasing pressure as more Spaniards arrived seeking wealth. The Spanish also engaged in coercive behavior, including taking local women as concubines, exemplified by Pizarro’s treatment of Atahualpa’s half-sister.
Spanish Internal Feuds and Manco’s Humiliation
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(00:11:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The feud between Pizarro brothers (Juan and Gonzalo) and Diego de Almagro escalated to the point where the Pizarro brothers deliberately humiliated Manco by kidnapping and assaulting his female relatives, pushing Manco toward Almagro’s faction.
  • Summary: The conflict between the Pizarro brothers and Almagro created a dangerous split among the Spaniards, forcing Manco to choose a side. Juan Pizarro kidnapped and slept with Manco’s young sister, while Gonzalo targeted Manco’s wife, Cura Oculo, despite warnings from the high priest. This extreme personal violation led Manco to align with Almagro, though he briefly fled to Almagro’s house after fearing assassination by his own relatives.
Almagro’s Expedition and the Uprising’s Genesis
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(00:23:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Diego de Almagro’s disastrous expedition to Chile, accompanied by Incan forces led by the High Priest Vilak Umu, resulted in severe Spanish brutality that prompted Vilak Umu to return and galvanize Manco for a full-scale revolt.
  • Summary: Almagro marched south with 12,000 Incan troops, but the expedition was marked by extreme suffering, with Spaniards chaining and starving natives, even cutting off the heads of the deceased while leaving the bodies attached to the chains. Vilak Umu deserted the expedition, returning to Cusco to report the Spaniards’ scum-like behavior, which reinforced Manco’s resolve to fight for liberty.
The Siege of Cusco Begins
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(00:32:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Manco launched a massive, highly organized assault on Cusco in May 1536, utilizing heated stones wrapped in cotton to ignite the thatched roofs, creating chaos that nearly overwhelmed the 200 trapped Spaniards.
  • Summary: Manco successfully slipped out of Cusco by promising Hernando Pizarro a golden statue, gathering approximately 100,000 people at Lares for the final muster. The Inca forces surrounded the city, covering the landscape like a black carpet, and initiated the assault at dawn on May 6th. The use of heated, wrapped stones on the thatched roofs caused massive fires, plunging the Spanish defenders into smoke and confusion.
Spanish Counterattack and Citadel Capture
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(00:42:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The Spanish regained the strategic advantage by capturing the fortress of Sacsayhuamán through coordinated cavalry charges and the use of scaling ladders, despite the death of Juan Pizarro during the fighting.
  • Summary: Hernando Pizarro recognized the danger posed by the Incas occupying the citadel of Sacsayhuamán overlooking the city. After Juan Pizarro was fatally wounded by a stone, Hernando led a renewed assault using scaling ladders to breach the walls. The fighting was ferocious, culminating in the suicide of the Incan commander, Titucuzi Gualpa, and the subsequent massacre of 1,500 captured defenders by the Spanish.
Almagro Learns of Siege
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(00:57:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Almagro, upon crossing the desert, learned Manco was besieging Cusco, viewing it as an opportunity to gain favor with Charles V.
  • Summary: Almagro’s expedition survived a harsh desert crossing and discovered the massive war initiated by Manco Inca. He immediately recognized that ending the siege and saving New Castile would position him as the hero over the Pizarros in the eyes of Charles V. To achieve this, Almagro sent Manco a highly conciliatory letter apologizing for past abuses.
Three Forces Standoff
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(00:58:51)
  • Key Takeaway: By April 1537, Cusco was the center of a three-way standoff between Hernando Pizarro inside, and the armies of Manco and Almagro outside.
  • Summary: The arrival of Almagro’s army created a complex military situation involving three distinct forces around Cusco. Hernando Pizarro, despite being besieged, hated Almagro more than he hated Manco, suggesting Spanish internal conflict superseded the fight against the Inca. The hosts noted the historical ‘what-if’ scenario of Hernando Pizarro siding with Manco against Almagro.
Manco Tests Almagro
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(01:00:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Manco tested Almagro’s sincerity by demanding the execution of four captured Spanish scouts, a test Almagro failed by refusing.
  • Summary: Almagro sent messenger Rui Diaz to Manco offering a pardon and punishment for the Pizarros if Manco stood down his forces. Hernando Pizarro countered this offer, warning Manco that Almagro was untrustworthy. Manco decided to test Almagro by demanding the execution of four Pizarro scouts, which Almagro could not bring himself to do.
Guava Fruit Torture
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(01:01:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Following Almagro’s failure to execute the scouts, Manco turned on Almagro’s messenger, Rui Diaz, subjecting him to a bizarre ritual involving chicha and guava fruit bombardment.
  • Summary: Manco concluded that the Spaniards would always stick together, leading him to attack Almagro’s forces, which was repelled. The messenger Rui Diaz was stripped, anointed, forced to drink chicha, and then pelted with guava fruit using slingshots. The Inca also forced him to shave his beard and hair, intending to transform him into an Indian, a bizarre act noted by the hosts.
Manco Withdraws to Jungle
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(01:04:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Realizing his options were exhausted, Manco abandoned the highlands, retreating into the jungle near Machu Picchu to establish an Inca state in exile at Vilcabamba.
  • Summary: Manco determined that capturing Cusco was impossible and the guava fruit incident had destroyed any chance of an alliance with Almagro. He addressed his supporters, stating he would visit the jungle people before withdrawing with all sacred relics. Manco vanished into the rainforest territory of Vilcabamba, establishing a new center of resistance.
Almagro Seizes Cusco
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(01:05:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Almagro entered Cusco on April 18th, capturing the Pizarro brothers and installing Manco’s half-brother, Paulu, as the new puppet emperor.
  • Summary: Almagro rode into Cusco as a conqueror, burning Pizarro property and imprisoning Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro. He successfully persuaded Francisco Pizarro’s relief column to switch allegiance, solidifying his control over the city. Almagro then formally stripped Manco of the Sapa Inca title and bestowed the ceremonial fringe upon Paulu in July 1537.