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Signature of Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro

The rubric Pizarro used to authenticate documents, since he could not write, alongside his name written by a secretary.

This rubric is Pizarro's own authenticating mark, used because he could not write.

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Black and white line drawing of a signature: a large looping flourish with a tall upright stroke, with the handwritten word 'Pizarro' written in small script beneath the loops, next to a second similar flourish.
Rubric and signature mark of Francisco Pizarro.

About this source

What it is

This is the mark Francisco Pizarro used on official papers: a looping flourish accompanied by his name written in small script, since Pizarro himself was illiterate and could not write his own signature.

Why it matters

This small detail reveals something important about Pizarro's background — he came from humble origins and never learned to read or write, yet rose to lead the conquest of a vast empire and sign decrees as governor. The rubric was his direct, physical trace of authority on official documents.

Look closer

  • What does it tell you about Pizarro that he could command armies and governments but not write his own name?
  • Why might a secretary's handwriting appear next to his mark?
  • What does this say about literacy and power in the 16th century?

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

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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

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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

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Valverde urging Atahualpa to convert

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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

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Atawallpa Pizarro tinkuy

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