At the beginning of the 15th century, the Inca Empire had the control of a very large area, bringing its influence even to Colombia and Chile.
Between
1526 and 1528, the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro explored the Peruvian
coastal regions and, marveled at the richness of the Inca
Empire, went back to Spain to collect money and recruit men for another expedition
to this country. Back to Peru, he went to Cajamarca, in the north,
where he captured, ransomed and executed the Inca emperor Atahualpa in
1533. Later on Pizarro founded the city of Lima in 1535 but was
murdered six years later. The rebellion of the last Inca chief, Manco Inca,
ended in a failure with his submission in 1572.
The
following two centuries were peaceful; Lima became the political, social
and commercial center, the most important of the Andean nations. Meanwhile,
the exploitation of the Indians by their invaders ended up in a rebellion in
1780, with the leadership of the self-named Inca Tupac Amaru II. The
rebellion was short and several leaders were captured and executed. The Peruvian
loyalty towards Spain continued until 1821 when the country was liberated
by to liberators: the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar and Argentine José
de San Martín.