Hello, and welcome to Western Sieve. Episode two hundred and fifty three, The Great Rebellion. Last time, Juans and Gonzalo Pizaro seemingly went out of their way to push manco Inca into leading a rebellion. They took his gold, they took his wife, They took any shred of dignity that he might have had, but took away any pretense of his power. Francisco Pizzaro worked hard to follow Cortez's playbook. Now his brothers seemed intent upon following whatever playbook
was written about how to mess it all up, making matters worse. It seems that the Inca had begun to learn how to deal with the Spanish, their weapons, and their horses. Remember, there were perhaps less than five hundred total Spaniards in all of South America at this point. In one month leading up to the Great Rebellion, the Spanish lost around thirty men to ambushes.
At that rate, the Spanish presence in South America would be wiped out in little over sixteen months, and those were isolated in small scale attacks. What would happen if manco Inca unleashed the full weight of the Incan military might upon the Spaniards. How long could they last? Then a month, a week? Well, today we find out. Today begins the last great gasp
of the Inca Empire. When Manko Inca and the high priest villac Umu reached the Inca town of Las, they found nobles from across the Inca Empire assembled and waiting for them in this small town thirty miles from Cusco were now assembled the most of the Inca elite from the entire kingdom. Manko's job was clear. He needed to stitch his empire back together, and to do so, he needed to eliminate the Spanish. Luckily, for him, the entire remaining
Inca military apparatus was present. It would be in all hands on deck sort of situation going forward. So luckily, Manko was starting off on the right foot. For the first time since he had become emperor, Manco was free to issue orders without Spanish interference. He turned and addressed the crowd, my
beloved sons and brothers. I never thought it would be ever necessary to do what I am now thinking of doing, because I always thought and felt certain that the bearded people who you call Varaca's which I used to call them, because I thought that they had come from the creator God Varacha would not give me grief in all things. But now I see they are scheming once again
to capture and kill me. And you have also seen how poorly they have treated me, and how ungratefully they have thanked me for what I have done for them, insulting me a thousand times over and then seizing me and tie me up at my feet and neck like a dog. And especially after they have given me their word that we had formed a partnership together based upon love
and friendship. I can't help but remind you how many times you have asked me to do that which I am now intending to do, saying that I should rise up against them, and asking me why I had allowed them in my land. I didn't think that what is happening now could ever have occurred, but that's what's happening. And because all they want is to persist in angering and tormenting me, I am forced to do the same with them. Since you have always shown me so much love and I have endeavored to make
me happy. Let's all join together and unite as one and send our messengers throughout the land, so that in twenty days time, everyone will arrive in this town without the bearded ones knowing anything about it. He ended by saying, quote, I am determined to leave no Christian alive in this land. Thus, I want to first surround Cousco. Those of you who want to serve me will have to stake their lives on this effort. End quote.
He turned and presented them with ceremonial vases before continuing, drink from these vases only if you will join me under these conditions. Everyone drank simultaneously. Messengers sprinted forth from Laris to the four corners of the Empire, bearing one message, Assemble your warriors. The time is now. Meanwhile, in Cusco, Hernando Pisato had also called for a meeting. Hernando now finally admitted that manko Inca had deceived him and was likely organizing a rebellion. Reports had been coming
in. Hernando now told the assembled Spaniards of large movements of native troops in the UK Valley, only fifteen miles to the north. The renegade Emperor was now headquartered in the town of Kalka, overseeing the gathering of native forces. Obviously, Hernando said he had made an error in judgment in allowing Manko and vilak Umu to leave, but there was no time to waste. Their lives were in danger. The most important thing they needed to do was try to
disperse the gathering forces and, if possible, recapture the emperor. If Manko could be recaptured, Hernando was very confident that they could force him to end the rebellion. If he were not recaptured, then they could expect attack from a large native army. Hernando decided to send his brother Juan with a cavalry detachment out to a nearby valley in the hopes of both reconnoitering for evidence of
the rebellion and to recapture Manko Inca. Juan and his meat road to the valley, but when they reached the edge of the plateau, they could scarcely believe their eyes. Beneath them would have been a green valley had been transformed into a carpet of beije Inca tunics. The rumors of the Inca army had seemingly had been transformed into reality overnight. Despite the initial shock, Juan Pisano soon led his cavalry down into the valley. It was there that native informants
had told him Manco Inca was directing the rebellion. Manco had taken careful precautions, however, even before the Spaniards had arrived, Native troops destroyed all the bridges over the river that basically bisected the valley into two. He then positioned his warriors on the opposite bank, who stood from an elevated position, yelling and taunting the Spaniards from below. With little choice other than to proceed,
though, Juan Pisados splashed his horse into the river and galloped through. Native warriors immediately began throwing all kinds of objects, swinging their slings and throwing spears. As the horses struggled across a hail of stone missiles either shot plumes of water into the air or else made metallic clanging sounds as they slammed into the spaniards armor. When they emerged on the opposite sides, the Spaniards immediately spurred
their mounts towards the sling flowers, who then began to run. The Spaniards easily speared them with their lances or sliced at them with the swords. The masses of native soldiers, meanwhile, who were really just newly conscripted peasants who had just arrived moments before, retreated up the hillside, having no doubt been instructed by their commanders at the steep terrain would prevent attacks by the Spaniards.
After a series of charges and feints, which were largely unsuccessful, again because they're now going up an extreme incline, Juan suddenly broke off the attack and galloped with his men toward the town of Kolka, where they immediately began a door to door search from Manco Inca. Manco Inca, however, had previously escaped. For the next three days, the Spaniards remained in Kalka, debating what to do, while the Inca army maintained its position on the hillside.
Given the warriors extreme numbers, was a little bit surprising to the Spaniards that they didn't attack. The Inca commanders seemed really quite content to just allow the Spaniards remain virtually unopposed in Kalka. Four days after the arrival, however, the Spaniards learned why no attack had curred. A loan rider from Cusco arrived in a great hurry bearing a message from Hernando Juan's forces were to return to Cusco at once in all speed. Massive numbers of native troops had suddenly appeared
on the hillside surrounding the capitol. If Juan and his cavalry didn't return at once, Hernando and his remaining Spaniards would be unable to hold the city. In other words, Juan had been duped. He lost no time, though, gathering up his men and galloped out of town. As the Spaniards rode past the fortress of Seeste Human, they could not believe their eyes. Overnight hills that had been completely devoid of natives when they wrote past the first time,
had suddenly filled with Inca troops. It was as though they were emerging from the land itself. So numerous were the natives that it was difficult for Juan to find a way back into town that was not already cut off the returning conquis. The Doors now made a dash down into the city, rejoining the relieved Spanish citizens that they had left behind with a mere ten horses.
Given that the Spaniards on foot were just so much less effective and inflicting damage on the Natives than were cavalrymen, Hernando and the one hundred and twenty six men who had remained in the capitol almost certainly would have been overwhelmed if Manco's troops had attacked while Juan was away. But even now, with a total
cavalry force of eighty six horsemen, the odds against them were enormous. Pedro Pisaro, who had returned with Juan, recalled quote, when we returned, we found many squadrons of warriors continuously arriving and camping on the steepest places around Cusco to await the arrival of all their men. After they arrived, they
camped on the plains as well as on the hills. So numerous were the rebel troops that came here that they covered the fields, and day by day it looked as if they had spread a black cloth cut over the ground for half a league around the city of Cusco. At night, there were so many rebel campfires that it looked like nothing other than a cloudless sky full of
stars and quote. In the days that followed, the Spaniards watched with growing anxiety as more and more Native troops poured in, filling the gaps on the hills around them. Clearly, one at Anando and the rest of the Spaniards had been caught totally off guard by the size and scope of this rebellion. Neither the Spaniards nor their native spies had even been aware that a massive rebellion
had been brewing. Presently, there were one hundred and ninety six Spaniards trapped in Cusco, and those Spaniards had no clue how many men they were facing. Just those that they could see were too many to count, and who knew how many more men were on their way to Cusco. For those Spaniards within the capital of the Inca Empire, the reality must have been sobering and difficult to digest, but the reality was inescapable. They were alone, totally
alone. Hernando sentence sorties of cavalry against the Inca arrayed before him to test their strength, but to no avail. On one occasion, a Spanish cavalry officer was surrounded and cut off from his compatriots. Try as he might, he could not free himself, and, in the view of other Spaniards watching helplessly from nearby, the Inca dragged him from his horse and decapitated him.
If here, Nando Pisato and his friends were not already terrified, they sure were now If they had any chance of surviving, Hernando realized they had to rely on their cavalry, which still gave them a huge advantage, and their roughly five hundred native allies. Hernando divided this cavalry into three parts, with
himself in overall command one. His brother was named second in command. The military structure of the Inca forces arraid against the Spaniards was more complex than that of most of the Spanish themselves, mainly due to the greater number of troops. At the top of the military pyramid now stood Manko Inca, the head of the state. He was so considered to be the son of the God, and the overall military commander alongside him was the High Priest of villac Umu.
I don't give a lot of names of Inca military commanders throughout these episodes because some of them tend to come and go. But vilak Umo has some staying power. That's why I focus on him. In charge of the actual siege of the armies around Cusco is a new general, General Inquill, who was aided by a lieutenant whose name I'm not going to bother. Giving you various other commanders led their individual legions, each of which was ordered to occupy
a specific location around Cusco. Again, remember that this isn't a Roman legion that's trained together for months, even years. This is a patchwork army of conscripts that's been pulled up. I mean, a lot of these military commanders have a lot of experience, but some of these troops have absolutely no experience whatsoever, and we have to keep that in mind as these events unfold. Now, the overall strategy was even broader than that, because remember, Francisco
Pisaro is in what is going to be Lima with another Spanish force. So Manco INCA remained in Kalka. But at the same time, another INCA general whose name is Kisu Yupanqi, was leading another INCA army toward Lima. So we have one group of armies in Cusco and another group of armies marching towards Lima. Kisco Uponki His objective was to keep Francisco Pizaro pinned down so that he would not be able to support his brother back in Cusco. It was
a very simple divide and conquer strategy. Julius Caesar would have approved any Spaniards caught outside alone were to be exterminated on site and their weapons confiscated. Vilac Umu argued that Manko should attack the Spanish forces in Cusco immediately, after all, they outnumbered them at least fifty to one. Manko disagreed. He had seen what the Spanish could do and he was not going to take any chances.
Following established Inca military practice, he would wait until absolutely every last soldier from across his kingdom had arrived. Then he would attack with overwhelming force. He wanted to make sure that neither the Spaniards horses nor their superior military technology would be enough to save them. He wanted to be sure he could eliminate
them completely. By the time that he was ready to attack, Manka would command somewhere between one hundred to two hundred thousand warriors, a truly monumental feat of organization. As native troops from around the Empire continued to arrive and reinforce the Inca siege around the city, the individual formations on the hillside grew to such an extent that soon the troops were camping right up against the house of the city's outskirts day and night. The warriors kept up a deafening roar,
shouting taunts and insults in their various languages. This was kind of like a psychological campaign that the Inca were waging. At the same time. The purpose was to keep the Spaniards off balance and afraid. Pedro Pizarro would write, quote, there was so much shouting in the din of voices that all of us were astonished end quote. Far from believing the Spaniards to be gods from across the sea, the native warriors now clearly showed the Spaniards uttered disdain and
contempt. Meanwhile, Manko Inca, receiving constant updates of the situation and his headquarters in Kalka, was determined not to overlook any aspect of depending military assault. The young emperor was well aware that the various religious aspects of the impending struggle were so important a victory as were simply the mechanical preparations of troops, weapons, food and supplies. The favor of the gods really mattered, at
least from the Inca perspective. Mango was constantly presiding over a variety of feasts, fasts, sacrifices, all in an effort to try to secure divine intervention
on their behalf in the battle to come. Finally, on what Spaniards called Saturday May six, fifteen thirty six, during the Catholic feast day of Saint John, with hundreds upon thousands of Native warriors shouting loudly, manco Inca launched his all out attack as natives blue on single conch shales and clay trumpets, Legions of javelin hurluers, sling throwers jungle archers all began to unleash a violent
barrage of stones, javelins and arrows upon the city below. A whoosh sound came through the air and turned into a crackling noise as the first missiles began to slam into the stone flagging and walls. Those Spaniards who were unlucky enough to be outside ran for cover. Hundreds of thousands of Native warriors shock troops began to move slowly in unison down the hillside, penetrating into the city and
head towards the capital's main central square. Mano's native infantry marched in close formation. They carried an assortment of three foot long clubs, battle axes, and shields, all the while keeping up a deafening roar. Native military officers traveled with them, carried a law off and respendent litters. Similar native legions had
carved out and conquered the Inca's two five hundred mile long empire. Now their descendants marched with the obvious determination of crushing these invaders who had so disturbed the equilibrium of their land. Manco and his general's strategy was a simple one. They would force the Spaniards towards the center of the city, shrinking the area that they currently occupied. Then they would simply overwhelm and crush them with natives
from every direction. Now entering the city, the conquistadors found themselves caught in the center of a rapidly tightening noose. Every one of them realized that they couldn't find a way to stomp Manco's onslaught, they would be squashed together and bludgeoned to death with clubs. The barrage of arrows and missiles had already forced
the Spaniards into hiding on the hillsides just above the city. Meanwhile, native troops seized and occupied the main fortress of Susquehan, along with its supply rooms and weapons. From here, bilak Umu and many of his commanders would oversee the battle and send messages back to Manco Inca in Calca, about two hours away. Other Inca forces soon captured other strategic enclosures, one of which abutted
the northern corner of the main square, recalled Pedro Pisaro quote. The city of Cusco adjoins a hill on the side where the fortress of Susqueham is, and on this side the Indians came down to some houses near the plaza that belonged to Gonzaro Pisaro and to his brother Juan Pisaro. And from here they did us much harm, for with stones they hurled onto the plaza without our
being able to prevent it. The place is steep and is between a narrow lane that the Indians had seized, and thus it was not possible to go up to it without all those who entered it being killed. There was also incredible noise, on account of the loud cries and howling that they made, and of the conch shell horns and gourds that they sounded, so that it seemed as if the very earth trembled under a withering hail of stones and projectiles.
The Spaniards who had been caught elsewhere in the city retreated to the main square, which was lined with the Inca palaces that the Spaniards had seized and occupied two years before. If the Inca strategy had been to encircle, squeeze, and then crush, the Spaniards strategy was to just hold on if possible, to two massive stone buildings the main palaces. These enclosures faced each other on the eastern side of the square and had high gabled roofs of thatch and
were supported by big wooden beams. In desperation, the Spaniards converted these into bunkers, relying on the roofs and walls to protect them from the relentless hail of stones. One of these two buildings was under the command of Hernando Pisaro, the other under the command of Hernan Ponstellion, not the guy from the Fountain of View if he was. This guy's actually the former partner of De Soto. So fierce was the native bombardment directly to them that the frightened Spaniards
were now unable even to venture out from either building. From within the dim interiors, they just knelt and prayed. While outside rocks continue to thud fiercely against the walls. According to one survive or quote, there were so many sling shot stones coming in through the entryways of the doors that it seemed like a dense hail at the time when the heavens are hailing furiously. End forced to relinquish control of the city except for this small portion of the main square.
Pedro Pisaro recounted quote Hernando Pisardo. When his captains assembled many times to discuss what should be done, some said we all to desert the town and flee, while others said that we should hole up in the Great Hall of the Palace, which was a great enclosure where we might all be, but
it had one doorway in a very high wall of stonemasonry. But none of this advice was any good, for had we left Cusco, they would have killed us all in many bad passes that are there, and had we taken refuge in the enclosure, they would have imprisoned us with adobe bricks and stones. Due to the huge number of native troops that there were. Before Hernando could react, though, a devastating new problem appeared seemingly without warning. The
roofs of the houses within the city began exploding into flames. Evidently, Manko had decided he would either rid himself of the Spanish or he would burn Cusco to the ground. His warriors began heating stones until they were glowing hot, then wrapping them in cotton before hurling them like sling shots into the city. These tiny Molotov cocktails immediately ignited the roofs of the thatched buildings within the city.
Now Hernando found himself facing Manko warriors outside the city and a conflagration within it. It was not long before the roof of the former palace within which the Spaniards had made their base camp, caught on fire. One Spaniard recalled quote, there happened to be a very strong wind that day, and as the roofs of the houses were made of thatched, it seemed at one point
as if the entire city were one great sheet of flame. The Indians were shouting so loudly, and the smoke was so thick that the men could neither hear nor see one another end quote. Various sources describe what happened next. According to some Spaniards, while the rest of Cousco burned, the flames on the roof of the palace, somehow mysteriously went out. Later, some of those present swore that the Virgin Mary herself had miraculously appeared with the flowing robe
and extinguished the flames. However, one scholar recounts a much more prosaic version, and that is that the Spaniards owed their temper reprieved to the African slaves they had stationed on the roof. Despite being ceaselessly fired upon by the arrows of the natives, the Africans had been able to put out the fire.
With much of the city burning, and realizing that if they stayed within the two buildings that they might soon be roasted to death, Hernando Pisaro decided that he and his men had no choice but to leave the relative safety of the
building and launch a counter attack. According to one quote, it seemed to them that it would better to go out than to perish there, And as dense and continuous as the hail of rocks was, they suddenly came out together with their Indian allies, and they went charging into their enemies in the lower streets, destroying their entrenchment. Another chronicler added, when these native warriors saw the Spaniards all gathered together, they fell upon them with great ferocity, hoping
to overrun them. The cavalry attacked them and held them up valiantly, and both sides fought with great courage. Arrows and stones shot from slings rained down on the Spaniards in a remark arkable way, but the horses, lances, and armor were sufficient to cope with them, and they made no attack without leaving at least one hundred and fifty or two hundred Indians dead on the ground.
As flaming roofs began to collapse and crash throughout the city, native warriors were now able to run along the tops of the newly exposed walls, thus gaining the advantage of height over the Spaniards and allowing themselves to be protected from cavalry charges all day. As smoke poured from the city, the battle raged fiercely. The Incas were primarily day fighters, however, and refused to fight
at night. Manka warriors on the first night seemed content to consolidate their advance into the city by building barricades, further encircling the Spaniards within that night. According to one chronicler quote, as they the Spaniards knew of no solution.
Their principal help came in resorting to God, such that all night in the makeshift church built within the palace, they prayed for God to help them on their knees and with their hands clasped near their mouths, which a lot of Indians saw, and even those yards who were on the plaza guarding did the same as well as many of the Indian allies. Quote. Another chronicler reports the same writing, quote on their knees, the Christians begged for God's mercy
and called upon the Virgin Mary and all their saints. With tears in their eyes, they prayed around quote bless us Saint James, bless us Holy Married God, save us. They humbled themselves and with their weapons actually in their hands, appealed to the Holy Mary. End quote. That evening, Hernando Pizzado called a general meeting. Luckily for the Spanish her and then there was a natural leader, even though he might be detested by some, who was
extremely cool under pressure, everyone realized their lives dependent on this man. He stood and addressed the crowd as follows, gentlemen, I've asked you here to meet me in order to speak to all of you, because it appears to me that the Indians are shaming us more and more. I believe that the reason for this is the lack of forcefulness and timidity that some of you have
shown. That's why we have abandoned most of the city. I don't want it said of me at the land that Don Francisco Pizaro, my brother conquered and populated, was lost in any way, shape or form because of fear, Because anyone who really knows the Indians knows that weakness on our part only makes them stronger. In the name of God and our King and defending our
houses in our estates, we will die if we must. Let's strengthen our resolve with the understanding of why we have to fight, and then we will not feel danger, because you already know that with courage one can achieve what appears impossible, and without it, even that which is easy is made difficult. That is why I urge upon you, and I am asking that all of you agree to this, because divided will be lost even without an enemy.
Unanimously, the men agreed to fight on with no thought to their personal safety. While outside the number of Incan fires set by Native troops seemed to outnumber the very stars. Both sides oddly felt optimistic about the battle that day. The Spaniards believed they had weathered the storm. The Inca believed that they had the Spaniards pinned down in two buildings. Manco Inca sent messengers out to his commanders that tomorrow they would finish the Spanish in Cusco and move on to
Lima. In his mind, it was all over. The next day, soon after dawn, a gray roar went up from the hundreds of thousands of native warriors on the hillsides. Once again, hordes of Native troops descended upon the city, filling the streets and marching toward the main square, where they expected the Spaniards to make their final stand. In and around the same square, Spanish cavalry and foot soldiers waited, along with African slaves and Native auxiliaries.
Manco's troops soon began setting a fire rooftops that had somehow escaped the conference gration the previous day. Thus, as the city continued to smoke and burn, warriors ran along the tops of house walls, hurling javelins and slinging stones down upon their enemies. Afraid that Manco's troops might try to set their last two buildings on fire, the Spanish had purposefully posted men on both rooftops. These men were busy putting out fires as the sling throwers or jungle warriors fired
hot stones or flaming arrows at them. Meanwhile, in the narrow streets below, the two opposing forces met and grappled with each other in combat that was designed to settle the fate of Peru. With their military options reduced, the Spaniards relied upon one simple strategy in order to prevent the small area that they presently held from being overrun. Their three cavalry units continually charged the native warriors
in an effect to disrupt their attacks. Everyone agreed it was better to meet one's end fighting on the open square or upon the narrow streets than to be caught cowering in one of the bunkers. No Spaniard wanted to be trapped inside either building, burned or clubbed to death. Thus, like the native warriors attacking them, the Spaniards fought savagely, stabbing and slicing at the enemy with their lances and swords, butchering native after native leaving on the ground pools and
puddles of gore and blood. Maneuverability for the cavalry had become difficult. The force of the cavalry was further blunted by the number of native innovations. For example, when one twenty three year old cavalry officer led a charge down one of Cousco's narrow streets, a group of Manko's warriors suddenly pushed a high wall over which collapsed on top of him and his men. They were knocked from their horses would certainly been killed if they were not rescued by their native auxiliaries.
Meanwhile, on the hillsides around the city, Manko's troops had been busy implementing additional strategies in an effort to neutralize the Spanish horses on flat agricultural terraces at the incas called annanes, in which they had used to transform the sloping hillsides in certain areas into a series of giant, staggered platforms. Native warriors now dug pits in order to prevent cavalry charges. Elsewhere in the surrounding hills.
Other natives disrupted aqueducts leading into the city, flooding the flatlands along the rim of the valley and making it impossible for horses to gallop on the marshy ground within Cusco. Manco's troops continued building more and more wicker barricades, using
these to block off entire streets and thus restrict the horse's mobility. As the cavalry wind wheeled on their horses and attempted to cope with so many new obstacles, Mancoes warriors now unleashed a new weapon, when they had previously only used when hunting deer, another large game. One of the siege's survivors, rode
As, follows. They have many offensive weapons, such as lances, arrows, clubs, axes, halberds, darts and slings, and another type of weapon that they call the eyelas, which were made from three round stones place and sewn up in leather bags and attached to accord a yard long. They throw these at the horses and thus bind their legs together, and sometimes they will hit the rider and bind a man's arms to his body. These Indians are so good at this that they can bring down a deer in the countryside.
Spaniards soon began calling these Inca's new strange weapon bolus or balls. In response to the Inca's latest tactics, the Spaniards were forced to quickly come up with counter strategies of their own. Because of the bolus, the cavalrymen now needed foot soldiers to accompany them in order to cut them free when they became entangled. Parties of Spanish horsemen and infantry meanwhile worked feverishly to destroy the barricades
in the streets. Although no Spaniard had yet been killed, many had nevertheless received serious wounds on their arms, hands, legs, and faces, and all of them realized that the desperate situation would have been even worse without the help of their native auxiliaries. One man recounted quote, the friendly Indians were of great help in curing the wounds and administering to all other needs, bringing
healing herbs and food to eat. On seeing this, many of the Spaniards themselves so that they were in such straits that they did not know what would have happened if had it not been for the help of those Indians end quote. Despite the Inca's best efforts, the Spaniards were still able to kill several hundred native warriors while suffering no fatalities themselves, although it is likely that many
of their native auxiliaries did lose their lives. Manco's generals quickly learned that although their troops could apparently wound the Spaniards, it was nevertheless extremely difficult for the warriors to kill them. Only by surrounding a cavalryman and pulling him from his horse that they have a chance at killing an armored Spaniard in hand to hand combat. The Spaniards took little consolation from their lack of casualties. After two
days of successive native attacks, their prospects remained grim. They were massively outnumbered and their supplies were growing short. If they had anny chance of survival, they needed to dislodge Manko's warriors from the fortress of Susqueham. If they could take the fortress, then the Spaniards could eliminate attacks on their most exposed flank
and hold the most strategic military area on the Heights. After consulting with his captains, Hernando finally decided that seizing Susqueham was the only means of reducing their vulnerability, despite the clear and obvious danger that a frontal attack on the heavily guarded fortress would entail Pedro Pizardo would later write, Nando Pisaro agreed that we should go and try to capture the fortress, for it was from there we
were receiving the most damage, because at the very beginning an agreement was not reached to take it before the Indians laid siege, nor was the importance of holding it realized. This being agreed upon, we of the cavalry were given the job to ready our weapons and go and take it. Juan Pisaro was put in charge. Now, Juan was very popular amongst his fellow countrymen. Earlier that day, he had been fighting on horseback when another cavalryman was struck
on his helmet with a large stone. He fell to the ground unconscious. Spotting the danger Juan had written over, leapt from his horse and gone to the man's aid. As Juan was dragging the fallen comrade to safety, a native slingthrower unleashed a stone that struck him squarely in the draw. Although he was stunned, Juan managed to pull his companion to safety. By evening, though Juan's jaw had become so swollen that he was no longer able to wear
a helmet. Nevertheless, he was twenty three years old, ready and willing to lead an attack on Susqueham. As Hernando had asked, helmet or no helmet, Juan was going forward. The fortress Jan had to storm was formidable, to say the least. Susqueham was built on a rocky edge on the northern part of the city, protected on three sides by steep slopes, which
prevented a direct attack. On its northern side, facing away from the city, the fortress fronted a grassy plain that the Incas frequently had used her festivals. Since the fortress was pregnable only from that direction, the Incas built a series of giant walls there with which to defend it. As one later scholar would write, quote, on the side of the fortress that is less steep,
there are three walls, one above the other. The most beautiful thing that can be seen among the buildings of that land are these walls, because they are of stone, so large that no one who sees them would say they had been placed there by human hands, For they are as large as chunks of mountains, and they have a height of thirty palms about twenty one feet in a length as many more. These walls twist more or less zigzag in such a way that if they are bombarded it is impossible to do so
from directly in front, but only obliquely. The whole fortress was a warehouse of weapons, clubs, lance's bows, axe's shield vests, thickly padded with cotton, and other weapons of various sorts, gathered from every corner of the realm that was subject to the Inca lord. Together, Juan and Hernando decided that the only way to break into the fortress was first to take out the legions of warriors to the north of the city. Yet to the many who
listened, the plan sounded suicidal. It might have been, but they had no choice. If Juan had Nano and their men were to remain in Cusco, Manco would eventually overwhelmed them. The math wasn't on their side. Losses or no time wasn't on their side. Resources weren't on their side. Their only chance was to throw the dice, trust in their God and hope for
the best. And so on the morning of May the thirteenth, fifteen thirty six, Juan Pisado and about fifty horsemen quote emerged from the church and mounted their horses as if they were going to fight, and started to look from side to side. While they were looking about in this way, they suddenly put their spurs to their horses, and then a full gallop, despite the enemy, broke through the opening that had been sealed in the wall and charged
off up the hillside at a breakneck speed and quote. Juan's cousin Pedro recalled how he and the rest of the cavalry had to first break through the native contingents hurling stones at them, and then how they had to zig zag up the steep hillside, stopping frequently while their native auxiliaries cleared the way. He would later write again, quote, we went up through Carmeneca, a very narrow road, bordered on one side by a hillside and the other by a
ravine deep in some places. And from this ravine they inflicted much damage on us with stones and arrows, and they had also destroyed the road in some places, and had made many holes in it. Went this way with great efforts and difficulty, because we kept stopping and waiting while the few friendly Indians we had with us, fewer than a hundred, filled up the holes and
repaired the roads end quote. The Spanish cavalry then wheeled east and charged in the direction of the fortress, quickly reaching the grassy plain that stretched before its northern wall. But now Juan really had a problem. His horses might be a devastating weapon, but he was looking at a three thousand foot long wall built of truly gargantuan stones, each one weighing three hundred and sixty tons or
more. As mentioned, these roads between twenty one to twenty eight feet in the air, and I mean look as great as their horses were, they can't ride up a vertical wall, making matters worse. Manco had troops on every terrace ready to rain down projectiles on the Spaniards if they came. If the attackers did manage to get control of one level, the Inca could just move up to the next, and the next, and the next, and
continue the bombardment. Even those who had not originally questioned the sanity of the plans must now have been having second thoughts. On the broad summit above the wall stood a labyrinth the buildings, and from amongst those rose three stone towers. The central tower was the tallest and was four to five stories in height, cone shaped, measuring seventy five feet in diameter. The two flanking at
on either side was nearly the same height and were rectangular. Beneath the towers ran a series of different secret tunnels that extended out at least as far as the defensive wall and perhaps beyond. Built during the previous century, susqueham which actually means Fortress of the Satisfied Falcon, was so big that the entire population
of Cusco, if necessary, could find refuge within it. With at least thirty thousand native warriors now defending it and the high priest villac Umu personally directing the efforts, the fifty Spanish cavalrymen and maybe one hundred native allies were faced with a seemingly insurmountable task. Had to figure out a way to breach these massive walls and then seize the fortress from its defenders. Juan Pisaro and Ponce de Leon, who remained with the expedition, now launched a series of direct
attacks on the fortress. The closer the Spanish got, the thicker the hail of stones and other projectiles that rained down upon them. During the final charge, Juan Pisato's own page was killed felled by a single stone. Many other Spaniards had their horses wounded in what was becoming an increasingly desperate struggle. Not Able to wear a helmet due to the head wound he had re suffered the
day before. With the last rays of sun falling, one urged on his fellow cavalrymen for one final charge, shouting the traditional cries of Santiago, before galloping across the grassy plain as stone missiles began to whizz down on top of
them, bouncing back up from the ground like massive hailstones. Wheeling to stop before the main gate and protecting themselves with their shields, the Spaniards leaped from their horses, then threw themselves against a large wicker barrier that had sealed the gateway, somehow breaking through, the Spaniards now began to force their way up
the stone stair that led to the first terrace. As the native defenders rushed to close off the breach, an increasingly heavy volley of rocks and missiles rained down upon the Spaniards from above, loudly clanging off their armor. The Warrior's figures counterattack soon forced the Spaniards to retreat back down the stairway and out onto the plane, Shouting at his men to renew their efforts. Juan once again surged forward, swinging his sword fiercely and forcing his way ahead, almost hurling
himself against a tide of native bodies. Juan's cousin Pedro recalled what happened next, quote from a terrace that is on one side of the courtyard. They showered us with so many stones and arrows that we could not protect ourselves. And for this reason, Juan Pisaro shoved some of the infantry men toward the terrace, which was so low, so that some of the Spaniards might get
up on it and drive the Indians from there. And while he was fighting with these Indians in order to drive them away, neglected to cover his head with his shield, and with so many stones that they were throwing, one of them hit him on the head and cracked his skull, bleeding from what
was an obviously serious head injury. One nevertheless continued fighting until his Spaniards and their native allies had gained a foothold on the first terrace, but with darkness descending, and still being pummeled from the two sets of walls above them. The Spaniards were gradually forced once again to retreat back down the wall and across the plain, some remounting their horses, while others just stumbled backwards, holding
up their shields or protection. Mango's warriors meanwhile advanced after them, shouting insults, while others continued to relentlessly whirl and launch a seemingly inexhaustible supply of stones, reaching the relative safety of some of the buildings beyond the wall. Juan Pisado now collapsed. Native auxiliaries carried him back down the steep hillside and into the city, and he would drift in and out of consciousness for the next
few days while the battle continued to swirl around him. Three days after his assault on Susqueham, the twenty five year old was loosed enough to dictate his will, which a notary duly recorded as follows quote, I Juan Pisaro, citizen of this great city of Cusco in the Kingdom of New cast deal. Firstly, I commend my soul to God, who created and redeemed it with his precious blood and body. And I order that if God decides to take
me from this present life. Because of the sickness I now have that my body be buried in the main church in this city until such a time as my brothers had Anando Pisarto and Gonzalo Pisarto carry my bones back to Spain. I ordered that on the day of my death a requiem mass be sung,
and that a mass be sung on each of the following nine days. I also order, because I received sexual services from an Indian woman who was given birth to a child whom I do not recognize as my daughter, that, nevertheless, because of the services of her mother, I ordered that if this girl becomes of marriageable age and weds with the blessing of my brother Hernando Pisaro,
that she'd be given two thousand ducats for her marriage. However, if she dies before marrying without heirs, it is my desire that the two thousand ducats be returned not to her heirs, but to mine. This will was made and approved before the notary public and witnesses in the said capital of Couscoe on the sixteenth day of the month of May, in the year one thousand, five hundred and thirty six of the birth of our Savior Jesus christ end
Quote. Two weeks after his injury, Juan Pisaro died. Despite his final request, Juan's body was never returned to Spain. He was the first of five Pisado brothers to die in Peru. He would not be the last. With options running out, Cannando Pizzano wasted no time mourning his brother. He didn't have the time to waste. He appointed his brother Gonzalo commander and ordered him to complete the assault of the fortress. By now, both sides realized
the fight for Sasquaham was the great rebellion. If Manko could hold onto the fortress, he would be able to hold onto his kingdom. If not, and the odds were not in his favor, Manko called up five thousand more men to defend his fortress. Hernando ordered a dozen more cavalry men to the front, but these calvalrymen were men who could not now defend Cusco. Manko could continue to call up additional resources, Hernando had to use what he had.
He had no illusions that he would not be reinforced anytime soon. All day in Cusco, the fighting continued. Hundreds of native warriors were slaughtered due to the Spaniards better armor, horses, and weaponry. Nevertheless, Manko's warriors continued pressing forward. Piles of dead bodies littered the streets of what had once
been a glorious capital of the Inca Empire. Above the city on the grassy plained before Susqueham Manko's fresh troops had arrived and now began pressing Gonzalo in his cavalry so much that quote, the Spaniards were in a very difficult situation with these reinforcements, because the Indians who arrived were fresh and attacked with great determination that night. Exhausted, wounded, and increasingly desperate, the Spaniards were nevertheless
ready with a new plan. Realizing that Manco might send even more troops the following day, and that their exposed presence above the city only invited greater counter attacks, the Spanish captains decided to mount a night attack on the fortress. The Spaniards knew full well that Manco's troops would never expect such an attack. They also knew the natives disliked fighting at night, especially on the night of
a new moon, which was due that very night. Thus, despite the day's fierce fighting, the Spaniards were somehow able to supervise the building of assault ladders, probably constructed by native auxiliaries. The ladders were similar to those the Spaniards had used on the Iberian Peninsula for century after century to assault the castles of the Moors. Under the cover of darkness, Hernando Pisato and many other Spanish soldiers within the city now secret climbed up the hill to join those above.
Before them lay the ink of fortress. As quietly as they could, the Spaniards and their auxiliaries began carrying their assault ladders across the plain, seeking out the darkest sections of the walls from which to stage their attack. Pulling themselves on to the top of the first wall, the Spaniards attacked the first startled sentries before the natives even understood what was happening. Slicing and stabbing with their swords, the Spaniards quickly gave in the terrace along the top of the
first wall. Their native auxiliaries meanwhile climbed up after them, pulling the ladders up from behind. Soon an alert was sounded and stones began to pelt down. The conquistadors nevertheless continued throwing their ladders up against the next wall, climbing up holding their shields in one hand and the swords in the other. Caught by surprise, Manko's troops were soon forced to abandon the two lower terraces, but rallied on top of the third. Directly behind rose the complex of buildings
and the three towers that loomed ahead in the night. With only one wall remaining, the defenders had no choice but to make a final defensive stand. According to one quote, I'm able to certify that this was the most fearful, cruel war in the world between the Christians and Moors. There is some mercy, and those whom they take alive can have some consolation because of ever present ransoms. But here amongst these Indians there is neither love, nor reason
nor fear of God. They kill us as cruelly as they can, and quote with a ferocity born of desperation. The Spaniards swung their swords, fending off volley after volley of stone missiles with their shields. Throughout that long night, the two sides fought, the Spanish forces on one side, pushing against Manko's forces on the other. When dawn broke, the Spaniards and Manko's troops were still locked together, neither side having slept now for a day and a
night, and no rest coming in the horizon. Despite the spaniards best efforts, though, the Native defenders still held the three towers and most of the buildings, while the Spaniards and their native auxiliaries held the terraced walls below. Vilac Umu and his Great General meanwhile continued to direct the defenders from somewhere deep within the complex of buildings. Susqueham, however, had one glaring weakness it had no source of water. Soon the situation started to deteriorate, vilac Umu
decided there was not enough water and weapons to supply his defenders. As a result, he ordered the defenders to break through the Spaniards rank, allowing himself and some of the major generals to escape. Making their way to Kolka, the two leaders urged Manko to send additional troops, hoping that a fresh counter attack would route and destroy the Spaniards. By now, however, the remaining
Native to fenders had retreated to the three towers. Ernando Pisardo ordered that the scaling ladders be set against all three of the towers at once, and that his men stormed them simultaneously. With the Native defenders now out of weapons and the Spaniards climbing onto all three towers, the route soon became a slaughter. Countless Natives, rather than face sure death at the hands of the Spaniards, chose instead to leap from the high walls and from the towers. Most died
on impact. Others fell on top of piles of the dead and survived, although they two were soon clubbed or stabbed to death. By the time the last defenders of the fortress were overcome, so many bodies lay strewn about the area that groups of vultures and black condors soon descended to the ground to feast upon their flesh. One of the Spanish attackers wrote, quote, we assaulted
and captured the fortress, killing three thousands souls. They killed our captain, Juan Pisado, and during the combat in the city they killed four Christians, not including more than thirty others who they killed on the ranches and the farms of the Indian chiefs while we were out collecting tribute and quote. As usual in the lopsided battles between the Natives and Spaniards. Thousands died on the Inca side, while the Spaniards suffered relatively few losses thus far in Mango's rebellion.
In fact, the mortality score had risen to perhaps two to four thousand dead native troops versus roughly thirty five dead Spaniards. The lopsided ratio, however, and indeed nearly three years of almost uninterrupted Spanish victories, was about to change,