Atahualpa

Hello. My name is Atahualpa, and I was the last Sapa Inca, which means I was the emperor of the mighty Inca Empire. My home was a kingdom in the clouds, high up in the Andes mountains. It was a truly magical place. Imagine giant, snowy peaks that touched the sky and deep green valleys that stretched as far as you could see. We built amazing roads that zigzagged along the mountainsides like long stone ribbons, connecting our entire empire for many, many miles. Our capital city, Cusco, was the heart of it all, filled with beautiful stone temples and palaces that fit together perfectly, like a giant puzzle made by a master builder. I grew up with my father, the great emperor Huayna Capac. He was a powerful and wise ruler, and I learned so much just by watching him. I spent my childhood in the northern part of our empire, in a city called Quito. Every day, I would watch the farmers tending their crops on the terraced hillsides and listen to the elders tell stories of our ancestors. I learned how to be strong, how to listen to my people, and how to be a fair and caring leader. I dreamed that one day, I would help protect our wonderful home and all the people who lived in it.

When my father, the great Huayna Capac, passed away around the year 1527, our empire was very sad. Before he left us, he decided that the empire should be shared. He wanted my half-brother, Huáscar, to rule the southern part from our capital, Cusco. He wanted me to rule the northern part from Quito, where I had grown up. At first, it seemed like a good idea. But soon, my brother and I began to disagree. We both loved our people and our empire very much, but we had different ideas about how to rule it. Huáscar believed there should only be one Sapa Inca, and so did I. This disagreement grew bigger and bigger, like a storm cloud over the mountains. It was a very sad time for everyone, as our disagreement led to a war between our armies. Families were divided, and our people were scared. After many battles that lasted for years, my armies were finally successful. In the year 1532, I became the one and only Sapa Inca for all our people. I was ready to bring peace back to our empire and make it strong again.

Just as I was beginning to bring peace to our lands, something unexpected happened. Strange visitors arrived from across the great sea. They were led by a man named Francisco Pizarro. They looked so different from us. They wore shiny metal clothes that clanked when they walked, and they rode on top of huge, powerful animals that we had never seen before. We would later learn these animals were called horses. I was curious, not scared, so I agreed to meet them. On November 16th, 1532, I went to the town of Cajamarca with many of my unarmed followers. I thought we were going to talk, but it was a trick. The strangers surprised us with loud noises and captured me. To win my freedom, I made them a promise. I said, “I will fill a whole room with gold and two more with silver for you.”. My people brought treasures from all over the empire. But even after I kept my promise, the strangers did not let me go. My time as emperor sadly ended on July 26th, 1533. Though my story ended, the spirit of the Inca people did not. It lives on forever in the high peaks of the Andes mountains, in the hearts of the people, and in the magnificent cities we built.