Diego de Almagro βJuly 8, was a Spanish soldier and conquistador, famous for his role in the defeat of the Inca Empire in Peru and Ecuador and his later participation in a bloody civil war among the victorious conquistadors. He rose from humble beginnings in Spain to a position of wealth and power in the New World, only to be defeated by his former friend and ally Francisco Pizarro.
His name is often associated with Chile: He led an expedition of exploration and conquest there in the s, although he found the land and its people too harsh and tough. According to most accounts, his father shunned him; when he was very young he was raised by his mother or a servant of his mother.
At any rate, his parents were of little help to him as he grew up. At some point, he is thought to have served in the Spanish navy. A tough, determined, ruthless soldier, Almagro quickly rose through the ranks of the adventurers who were conquering the New World. He was older than most, approaching 40 by the time of his arrival in Panama. The latter part of the son's name is variously translated as "the younger" or "the lad.
Three of the hardened soldiers of the Panama expedition were Almagro, Francisco Pizarro, and the priest Hernando de Luque. Almagro and Pizarro were important officers and soldiers, having participated by this time in various expeditions. Together with Luque, the two men put together a proposal to the Spanish king to outfit and direct an expedition of a conquest to the south. The Inca Empire was as yet unknown to the Spanish: they had no idea who or what they would find down south.
The king accepted the proposal, and Pizarro set forth with about men. Almagro remained in Panama to send men and supplies to Pizarro. In , Almagro heard that Pizarro and men had captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa and were ransoming him for a treasure unlike any the world had ever seen.
