During the siege of Cusco, the Incas developed a new tactic: heating stones in campfires before wrapping them in cotton and launching them with slings. This simple innovation transformed their traditional projectile weapons into highly effective incendiary devices, setting the city's thatched roofs on fire.

The Spanish were a tiny fraction of their own fighting forces. Their victory was a political achievement, leveraging deep-seated resentments of subjugated peoples against the Aztec and Inca empires, turning local populations into the primary military asset.

Facing a business-ending ventilation issue with no money left, the founders jackhammered a hole into a 20-story garbage chute to create an exhaust flue for their roaster. This "ask forgiveness, not permission" mindset demonstrates the scrappy resourcefulness required to overcome early obstacles.

The group that conquered the Inca Empire was not a trained army but comprised young artisans, merchants, and even a barber seeking fortune. Their prior combat experience was limited to attacking defenseless indigenous groups, not formal warfare, challenging the myth of a professional military force.

Cortés and Pizarro were entrepreneurs who fundraised for their expeditions, recruiting 'compañeros' (colleagues), not 'soldados' (soldiers). These were essentially startups driven by profit, pooling assets for risky ventures. This structure incentivized extreme risk-taking and improvisation, with leaders often defying their original investors.

The Aztec military doctrine and status system prioritized capturing enemies alive for ritual sacrifice. This cultural imperative repeatedly led them to try to seize Cortés and other Spaniards rather than kill them on the spot, providing crucial moments for the conquistadors to be rescued and escape certain death.

Conquistador expeditions were entrepreneurial ventures, not state campaigns. Leaders like Pizarro formed partnerships, raised private funds, and invested in high-risk "island hopping" operations hoping for massive returns. This model privatized both the risk of failure and the rewards of success, mirroring modern venture capital.

The narrative of a small Spanish force conquering a vast empire is misleading. The Spanish heavily relied on indigenous allies, like the puppet emperor Paolo Inca, who provided thousands of warriors. These alliances were decisive in key battles, revealing the conquest was also a native civil war exploited by Europeans.

Francisco Pizarro's invasion of Peru was heavily influenced by the recent success of his cousin, Hernán Cortés, in Mexico. The fall of the Aztecs provided a tangible model for conquest, proving that small bands of conquistadors could topple vast empires. This precedent made it easier for Pizarro to secure funding and royal support.