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.