Not much is known about the early days of Inca rule. The Inca began as a few tribes but soon rose to conquer many lands. When the Inca began to develop a government, they set out to conquer surrounding tribes. The Inca started from places like Cuzco and then expanded, forming a large powerful empire.The Inca empire began about 1438 B.C., when Pachacuti, the ninth Inca ruler, invaded the neighboring Chanca Confederacy. Pachacuti was the first ruler to be a military leader, head of an entire empire, and a head minister. Pachacuti conquered many regions. He had a son, Topa Inca Yupanqui. Topa Inca Yupanqui extended the Inca empire into northwest and central Peru. He then conquered into South Bolivia, northwest Argentina, north Chile, and northward into western Equador. Topa Inca Yupangui also had a son, Huayna Capac, who united and conquered regions of the highlands of Equador and parts of southern Colombia. Huayna Capac also had two sons, Huñscar and Atahualpa. Huayna Capac died about 1527, during a civil war that broke out between his two sons. Huñscar was heir to the empire, but Atahualpa was a controller of a large empire in Ecquador. The Inca empire was weakened by Atahulpa's attack, and the empire fell quickly to the Spaniards.
The Spanish conquest was started in 1532 when the Spanish explorer, Francisco Pizarro, met Atahualap's army in Cajamarca, Peru. Atahualap's army was ambushed by 167 men, and Atahualap was taken hostage and held for ransom by Francisco Pizarro. Atahualap's ransom was one room filled entirely with gold and two rooms filled with silver. Even after large amounts of gold were given over the set amount, Atahualap was executed. In the end, the Spaniards still overthrew the Inca empire and killed most of the emporers too.