Atahualpa << `ah` tah WAHL pah >> (1500?-1533), also called Atabalipa, was the last ruler of the Inca empire in Peru. In 1532, shortly after Atahualpa took the throne, Francisco Pizarro and his men landed in Peru. Atahualpa refused to acknowledge King Charles I of Spain as his overlord or to accept Christianity. Pizarro’s men then killed more than 4,000 unarmed Inca nobles and imprisoned Atahualpa in the city of Cajamarca.
Although he had one room filled with gold and another room filled twice with silver in ransom, Atahualpa was not released. Atahualpa was executed on Aug. 29, 1533.
