In a ruthless political move, Atahualpa directed the gold-hungry Spanish to loot two of the empire's most sacred temples. Both were located in regions loyal to his civil war rival, Huascar, effectively using the invaders as a tool to punish his internal enemies.

To provide legal cover for killing Atahualpa, Pizarro held a rudimentary trial. The emperor was charged with a mix of political and religious crimes like regicide and incest, demonstrating the Spaniards' deep-seated need to frame their actions within a legalistic framework for their king.

The popular myth that Incas mistook Spaniards for gods is likely false. The term "Viracochas" (sons of a creator god) was probably a polite honorific or literary convention, not a literal belief. The Incas' actions were consistently pragmatic and political, not based on religious awe.

Before conquering a city, the Spanish read the "Requiremento," a legal document demanding submission to the Pope and King. This ritual, incomprehensible to the Incas, served as a self-serving legal justification, placing the blame for the inevitable violence and death squarely on the victims for their non-compliance.

Communication during the pivotal meetings relied entirely on young, frightened interpreters who stumbled over their words. This created a dangerous filter of misunderstanding and potential misinformation, adding a layer of chaos and distrust to an already tense first-contact scenario.

The Spanish used a legal document called the "Requerimiento" to legitimize conquest. Before attacking, they read a history of the world and demanded submission to the Pope and Spanish King. Refusal provided a legal pretext for slaughter, a practice some Spaniards at the time considered absurd.

The Spanish conquest was characterized by the systematic destruction of Inca art. Rather than preserving priceless golden artifacts like llamas and flowers, they melted them into standardized bars for easy shipment and accounting. This reflects a colonial mindset that prioritizes raw monetary value over cultural and artistic significance.

The famous moment where Atahualpa supposedly threw down a prayer book, sparking the massacre, was a manufactured pretext. The Spanish, already in ambush positions, simply needed a justification. The book ending up in the dust—whether thrown or dropped—provided the trigger for their pre-planned attack.

Despite building a massive, highly organized empire, the Incas had no written language. This means nearly everything known about their history and culture was recorded by the Spanish after the conquest. Their entire legacy is therefore filtered through the lens of their destroyers, creating a fundamentally biased historical record.