Almagro, Diego de << ahl MAHG roh, DYAY goh deh >> (1474 or 1475-1538), was a Spanish conquistador (conqueror) and explorer of South America. He accompanied another Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, on various expeditions.
By the early 1520’s, Spanish settlers in Panama had heard reports of a rich American Indian empire somewhere to the south. In 1524, Pizarro set out to find this empire. Almagro stayed in Panama at first to obtain more soldiers and supplies for the expedition. He later joined Pizarro. However, the explorers made it only as far south as what is now Colombia before they returned to Panama. During a second expedition in 1526, Pizarro reached the coast of Ecuador with difficulty. Almagro then brought reinforcements to Ecuador from Panama, allowing the expedition to continue.
By 1528, Pizarro’s group had found the Inca Empire, centered in what is now Peru. Pizarro then traveled to Spain to obtain a royal license to conquer the area. The Spanish king Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) granted Pizarro the license and named him commander of the expedition. The powers that Pizarro acquired from Charles I displeased Almagro.
Pizarro invaded Peru in 1532. Once again, Almagro remained in Panama to gather more recruits and equipment. He joined Pizarro in Peru after the Battle of Cajamarca, which took place in 1532. In the battle, the Spaniards captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa and killed thousands of Inca. Almagro served as one of the leaders of the special court that condemned Atahualpa to death in 1533. Following Atahualpa’s execution, Pizarro and Almagro seized the Inca city of Cusco and worked together to occupy Peru.
In 1534, Charles I assigned Almagro to explore and conquer the region of New Toledo (now southern Peru and Chile). From July 1535 to September 1536, Almagro explored parts of what are now Bolivia and Argentina and crossed the Andes Mountains into Chile. Almagro and his expedition hoped to find gold and silver. They traveled as far south as central Chile, but they found only scattered settlements with no riches. They also met strong resistance from the local people.
In 1537, Almagro returned to Peru. In the late 1530’s, a dispute between Almagro and Pizarro over who would rule the area around Cusco led to war. Pizarro’s forces won the conflict, and they executed Almagro in 1538.
See also Chile (Spanish conquest); Pizarro, Francisco.
