The largest population shift of the modern age has been the "discovery" and subsequent colonization of the New World by Europeans. Nearly all of the natives of the New World were conquered, assimiliated, or gradually dissappeared under European influence. Why were the Native Americans at such a disadvantage? Considering that they had colonized the New World over 13,000 years ago, why were they not able to repel the "invading" Europeans or at least welcome them as equals?
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A stylized Atahuallpa, a Spanish soldier
is visible at the bottom left. |
Jared Diamond presents the meeting between Atahuallpa and Pizarro as one of the defining moments of this seeming inequality. Atahuallpa was the absolute monarch of the Inca empire, which at the time of his meeting with Pizarro was the largest and most advanced society in all of the New World. Pizarro represented King Charles I of Spain, which at the time was the most powerful state in Europe. While this seemed to be an important meeting of two superpowers, Pizarro had with him only a ragtag group of 168 Spanish soldiers while Atahuallpa was leading a trained and experienced army of 80,000 soldiers.
Why then was Pizarro able to capture Atahuallpa and hold him ransom for 8 months?
The reason, as Diamond explains, is mainly technological. The Incan warriors carried clubs as their primary weapons, and wore quilted armor, which provided good protection against their type of weapons. The Spanish wore metal armor and carried mainly metal edged weapons. Their armor was good protection against the clubs, with most strikes leading to injury, not death. The Spaniard's swords and daggers easily penetrated the Incas quilted armor. And perhaps of greatest advantage to the Spanish, Pizarro's party had 68 horses. The Incas had never domesticated a large animal, for farming or for combat. The horse enabled the Spanish to travel longer distances than they would on foot, to attack quickly by surprise or flee successfully from a stronger force.
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| Francisco Pizarro González |
It was ignorance of this technological disadvantage, and ignorance of the Spaniard's ambition to conquer their New World that led Atahuallpa to walk with only a small guard right up to Pizarro's force. Then, still not understanding that the Spanish were a conquering force and not a raiding party, Atahuallpa naively offered (and did!) pay Pizarro history's largest ransom*. Pizarro's background included stories of Cortés and his conquest of the Aztecs. European knowledge moved him to set an ambush, while Incan knowledge made Atahuallpa ignorant that such an ambush would take place.
*
The ransom was the volume of the room where Atahuallpa was held prisoner in gold, and twice in silver. It boggles the mind that the Incas were able to deliver this demand within two months of its asking.
