Summary Of The Francisco Pizarro Rumiñawi Trial

Before the trial, I was aware that Francisco Pizarro commanded that Atahualpa be killed on July 26, 1533. Atahualpa was strangled. Gold, silver, alcohol, and Christian religious symbols were present at the site of the murder. Based on that information given to us, I believed that Pizarro was guilty of the crime. Knowing how forceful and violent conquistadors could be towards the natives, I felt that Pizarro (being the leader) was the prime suspect and should be accused. I was sure my mind wouldn’t be changed. However, as the trial progressed, my thoughts were swayed many times as the prosecution and defense attorneys questioned the witnesses. Below is an overview of the trial. The prosecution started off by saying that they think Pizarro

By word around town, he heard that Atahualpa was captured by Pizarro. He then brought a shipment of ransom. However, when he arrived he discovered that Atahualpa had been on trial and charged with rebellion, idolatry, and murder. He had been strangled and his clothes were burned. Atahualpa was already dead when he showed up, so he never heard the command. Still, he saw Pizarro at the scene, and Atahualpa was being given a Christian burial. Rumiñawi threw the ransom into a lake, perhaps angered that it could not save Atahualpa since he had already been killed. The defense said that he didn’t seem to know what really went on, but the prosecution argued that there were ransoms and

Pizarro claimed that he traveled to the Americas to spread Christianity, gain new lands, and attract wealth for Spain. He was honored to be in Atahualpa’s presence. Valverde tried to force Atahualpa to convert, so Pizarro saved Atahualpa because he knew that if he was killed, many would be outraged. The night before the ceremony, he was to free Atahualpa since he converted to Christianity, but Valverde wanted him dead. He had heard that Valverde was the one who killed Atahualpa. However, he was in charge of Friar Valverde. This posed the question: If he had more authority than Valverde, why didn’t he prevent Valverde from killing Atahualpa? The prosecution asked if Pizarro held Atahualpa captive and demanded ransom at the celebration, but Pizarro insisted that he was only trying to save Atahualpa until he heard of the rebellion. Then he recaptured Atahualpa. Yet, Pizarro still claimed that Valverde clearly could’ve killed Atahualpa, which made sense since Pizarro declared that he was not at the scene of the crime. At the time of the murder, Pizarro said that he was planning with some men, one of them being de Soto. The prosecution contested and stated that according to accounts, de Soto was present at the ceremony. Pizarro seemed to have gotten confused, for he said that the “planning” consisted of the men discussing that they were considering returning to Spain, and then afterwards I believe I heard him say that he was