The Condor Mission (completed)

Chapter 18 - Vilcabamba

Whytuya, after all, was right. He was immediately called to return to the north and attempt to decipher the enigma behind this unusual event, a contact between cultures so antagonistic. But Atahualpa had already arranged a meeting with Pizarro's men.
Despite underestimating the military strength and intelligence of foreigners, a serious error, the Inca also wanted to resolve, in a forceful way, a subject that lasted so long on the northern borders of the Incanate. It seemed a plague that would not go away. it would drive the invaders from their lands.

On the other hand, the Inca was curious to know how those strange white men and Barbados lived; he was impressed by the clothing model and, above all, by the metal armor of the messengers. There was another shock when he saw the Spanish mount. By the time the Inca received the message from Francisco Pizarro, an immense sorrel came very close to the monarch's litter, who felt the breath of his breathless breath. He imagined himself riding on that beautiful animal, traversing its vast territory.

But our hero was still in Tiahuanaco, trying to find some way out of the evacuation of the villagers, due to the inevitable invasion of the Europeans, just as had happened in Tenochtitlán. His grandfather, the centennial Coca, and Pacha, his mother, followed alive. From there they would hide away from the village, in the house of some relatives who lived in a village hidden in the mountains, cousins and uncles of blood. But the transport up there required a lot of effort. The paths were steep and very narrow. Surrounded by abysses, forests and stony paths. It was necessary to leave as soon as possible, time urged. Atahualpa ignored the Aztec holocaust of courteous.

Pizarro had a clear objective. He was an experienced officer, who greatly helped Spain in the conquest of ultra-marine territories. He wished to make his own fortune and achieve fame as a great conqueror. He wanted to enter, as did kings and great men, into the books of history and immortalize himself.The strategy was cunning. His group of mercenaries and allies took advantage of the civil war that had plagued the Empire since Huayna's death. The Incas were pressed and the morale of the troops, low. Francisco Pizarro outlined his plan to dominate the Tahuantinsuyo. Some Spanish messengers were sent to the presence of Atahualpa to suggest a meeting between the leaders of both kingdoms.

In the north, the improbable had happened. Just as Whytuya had predicted, a troop with less than two hundred foreign soldiers and forty riders were able to subdue a force of thousands of Andean men, personally led by Atahualpa and his military leaders. The Incas did not know the gunpowder and the devastation of the cannon shots that brought the invaders. They fought as warriors of the stone age. Their casualties were incalculable. The surprise effect of the explosions and the fire coming out of the mortars frightened those people who fought with wood and stones.

Whytuya can't get there in time to help Atahualpa fight Pizarro and his men. Perhaps, with some diplomacy, they would gain time to organize an effective defense. The people were confused. Many people committed suicide when they heard of Atahualpa's terrible execution. The Incas were desperate and believed that it was better than staying alive to see the disgrace of their people than to join their leader in the spirit world.
Since arriving on the beaches of Peru, the Spaniards only thought about Tahuantinsuyo gold. They were very patient in this campaign, cunning. Would use the own ingenuity, curiosity and vanity of the Andean monarch to show it the force of gunpowder, the heavy shells of cannons, and the cavalry. Would taste the steel of Toledo.

Pizarro alreadu knew the Incas. After the Atahualpa victory against his brother Huascar, he knew that the monarch believed he was invincible and the legitimate protector and lord of the Tahuantinsuyo.
The fatal meeting was scheduled to take place in Cajamarca. Atahualpa led an army of more than 10,000 men. Commanded his troops from the top of a hill, on a litter adorned with gold, leaning on four human shoulders. At that moment, the Andean monarch felt immortal. He had consolidated power on the four borders. His brother, Huascar, was imprisoned. And finally, I was certain that the feared foreigners and their few soldiers could not overcome the incredible army of the north, the true military power of the Inca Empire.