Vicente de Valverde

Vicente de Valverde was a Spanish friar and bishop who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. He accompanied Francisco Pizarro during his expedition to Peru.

During the fateful encounter at Cajamarca in 1532, Valverde presented the Inca ruler Atahuallpa with a choice: accept Christianity and the sovereignty of the Spanish crown, or face the consequences. When Atahuallpa rejected these demands, Pizarro's forces attacked, leading to the capture of the Inca emperor. Valverde later offered Atahuallpa the choice between being burned alive or executed by garrote if he converted to Christianity, which Atahuallpa accepted before his death. Valverde's actions highlight the complex and often brutal intersection of religion and conquest during this period.12