Atahualpa offered to pay a ransom for his release. The Sapa Inca placed his hand high on the wall of his prison room. “I will fill the room to this height with gold,” he told Pizarro. “This I give in exchange for my freedom.”

The Sapa Inca’s orders went out. His subjects stripped temples of their gold. They emptied storehouses and gathered up gold that would be worth tens of millions of dollars today. Once the Inca paid this fantastic ransom, Pizarro broke his promise. He charged Atahualpa with plotting against the Spaniards and had him executed.

The Sapa Inca’s death was the beginning of the end for the Inca Empire. The Inca were highly successful in battle. But they had been weakened by civil war, ravaged by deadly diseases, and upset by the loss of their leader. They were in no condition to oppose the Spaniards. By June of 1534, Pizarro had conquered Cuzco and Quito. A few years later, the Spanish conquest of the region was mostly complete.

In twenty years, the Spaniards had destroyed two mighty empires and set up a new empire of their own. The conquerors congratulated themselves for stopping human sacrifice and bringing Christianity to the Americas. However, their greed for gold and thirst for power also led to the destruction of two of the most amazing civilizations in history. The changes they had begun would lead to the deaths of millions of people.