<P> Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro and his brothers explored south from what is today Panama, reaching Inca territory by 1526 . It was clear that they had reached a wealthy land with prospects of great treasure, and after another expedition in 1529 Pizarro traveled to Spain and received royal approval to conquer the region and be its viceroy . This approval was received as detailed in the following quote: "In July 1529 the queen of Spain signed a charter allowing Pizarro to conquer the Incas . Pizarro was named governor and captain of all conquests in Peru, or New Castile, as the Spanish now called the land ." </P> <P> When they returned to Peru in 1532, a war of brothers between the sons of Huayna Capac, Huáscar and Atahualpa, and unrest among newly conquered territories weakened the empire . Perhaps more importantly, smallpox had spread from Central America . Pizarro did not have a formidable force . With just 168 men, one cannon, and 27 horses, he often talked his way out of potential confrontations that could have easily wiped out his party . </P> <P> The Spanish horsemen, fully armored, had technological superiority over the Inca forces . The traditional mode of battle in the Andes was a kind of siege warfare where large numbers of usually reluctant draftees were sent to overwhelm opponents . The Spaniards developed one of the finest military machines in the premodern world, tactics learned in their centuries - long fight against Moorish kingdoms in Iberia . Along with their tactical and material superiority, the Spaniards acquired tens of thousands of native allies who sought to end the Inca control of their territories . </P> <P> Their first engagement was the Battle of Puná, near present - day Guayaquil, Ecuador, on the Pacific Coast; Pizarro then founded the city of Piura in July 1532 . Hernando de Soto was sent inland to explore the interior and returned with an invitation to meet the Inca, Atahualpa, who had defeated his brother in the civil war and was resting at Cajamarca with his army of 80,000 troops . </P>

Who were the inca and where did they live