Skip to main content

Primary sourceBookwritten 16th century; this edition 1872

Reports on the Discovery of Peru

Clements R. Markham (editor) · written 16th century; this edition 1872

A collection of contemporary reports, including one by Pizarro's secretary and one by his brother Hernando, describing the conquest of Peru and Atahualpa's ransom.

Includes firsthand reports by Pizarro's secretary and his brother Hernando describing the conquest and Atahualpa's ransom.

Ask Francisco Pizarro about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Reports on the Discovery of PeruPDF · 176 pages
Clements R. Markham (ed.), Reports on the Discovery of Peru, 1872. Hakluyt Society; scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

Edited and translated by Sir Clements R. Markham, this 1872 volume collects several original 16th-century reports: by Francisco de Xerez, secretary to Francisco Pizarro; by Miguel de Astete on an expedition; a letter from Hernando Pizarro, Francisco's brother, to the royal Audience of Santo Domingo; and a report by Pedro Sancho on dividing the ransom paid for the Inca emperor Atahualpa.

Why it matters

These reports are primary eyewitness sources written by men directly involved in Pizarro's expedition. They let readers compare different Spanish voices describing the same events, including the enormous ransom demanded for Atahualpa and how it was divided among the conquerors.

Look closer

  • Why might Hernando Pizarro and Xerez describe the same events differently?
  • What does the division of Atahualpa's ransom reveal about the conquerors' motives?
  • What is missing from reports written only by the Spanish side?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Pizarro and Atahualpa on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Francisco Pizarro sources

Meet the AI Francisco Pizarro →
Map titled Capitulaciones de 1529 showing South America divided into colored zones: Tierra Firme at top, Capitulación de Francisco Pizarro in yellow across the middle, Capitulación de Simón de Alcazaba in purple below, and the Tratado de Tordesillas line on the east. Cities labeled include Caracas, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, Asunción, Buenos Aires and Santiago.Document

Primary source

Capitulation of Toledo

Crown of Castile · 26 July 1529

Black-and-white etching of an interior with a tall barred window. A kneeling figure with raised arm faces a standing man in a military coat who points a pistol. Soldiers with muskets stand at right, and a figure in a plumed headdress stands at left.Painting

Secondary source

L'Ynca du Pérou aux pieds de Pizarre

A.C.F. Villerey after N. Vallain

Black and white engraving of a 16th-century confrontation. A feathered, robed figure stands centre, flanked by women and attendants. A friar in a dark hooded robe holds an open book and speaks to him. Armoured Spanish soldiers stand at right, one holding a helmet-topped staff, and a kneeling man in dark clothing is in the foreground. Keys lie on the ground.Painting

Secondary source

Valverde urging Atahualpa to convert

Henry Perronet Briggs (painting); engraved by W. Greatbach · 1830

Scan of a dark brown, mottled book cover with a white library label at the top reading 'UC-NRLF' above a barcode and the call number '$B 284 962'. No title text is visible on the cover.Book

Primary source

Verdadera relación de la conquista del Perú

Francisco de Jerez · 1534 (this edition 1891)

Black-and-white ink line drawing with a bold Spanish caption across the top reading Conquista and Atahualpa, Ciudad de Caxamarca. A robed friar with a cross faces a kneeling Inca man, while a crowd of Spanish soldiers with spears and Andean figures fills the scene.Painting

Secondary source

Atawallpa Pizarro tinkuy

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala · 1532 (depicted); drawing later

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Francisco Pizarro now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions