From 100 Facts for 100 Years of Machu Picchu - #43

By Catharine Hamm | Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

43. The governor of Panama thought the expeditions foolish, so Francisco Pizaro went to Spain to speak directly with the emperor, who said yes. Off Pizaro sailed.

Pizaro was unaware that during his early voyage they had caused a smallpox epedemic which killed both the Inca ruler Huayna Capac and the heir apparent launching a blood civil war between Atahualpa the son from Quito and Huascar the son from Cusco.

From 100 Facts for 100 Years of Machu Picchu - #42

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By Catharine Hamm | Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

42. Pizaro and his partner, Diego de Almagro, and a priest, Hernando de Luque sailed down the west coast of South America twice.

The first expedition went as far as modern day Colombia.  The second expedition went as far the coast of Ecuador where they met a large native population that had recently come under Incan rule. The group was extremely hostile; making the Spanish change their plans about coming ashore to exploit the area. However it is this initial contact, that brought the smallpox virus to the region which would set a chain of events into action that left the empire as easy prey to the Spanish upon their return.

From 100 Facts for 100 Years of Machu Picchu - #41

By Catharine Hamm | Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

41. Francisco Pizaro seems an unlikely player in the drama. He was a bit of a puzzle. once, the explorer was marked as unambitious, but after a stint as mayor of a city named Panama (in, not surprisingly, Panama), he turned his attention to South America.

While in Panama, Pizaro here stories from locals of cities to the south enshrined in Gold. He set out South on the exploration of South America in Search of the legendary city of El Dorado. The golden city he had heard of was most likely Cusco, however he received much of the gold and silver ransom for Atahulapa.

From 100 Facts for 100 Years of Machu Picchu - #39

By Catharine Hamm | Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

39. The conquistadors played a huge role in Peru, of course.  Led by Francisco Pizaro, they claimed the land for Spain in the 1500s.

The Pizaro brothers Francisco, Gonzalo, Juan and Hernando all played a major part in the capture of Peru and its early colonial days.  Gonzalo, Juan and Hernando would rule Cusco as a dictatorship fueled by greed, corruption and brutality torturing and executing those who refused the Spanish rule.  While Francisco went on to explore the west and northern coast of Peru and found Lima where he was murdered by supporters of co-conquistador Diego de Almagro.