Dominic Sandbrook

He says, I want to entrust my children to Pizarro's protection.

And Valverde, the Dominican friar, says to him, you know, forget about your children, accept baptism and die like a Christian.

We're told Atahualpa continued to persist in commending his sons with great weeping, indicating their size with his hand, showing by the signs he made and by his words that they were small and that he was leaving them in Quito.

And eventually Valverde says, well, Pizarro will look after them as though they're his own children.

And Atahualpa says, fine, in that case, I'll accept baptism and I'll become a Christian.

Yes, exactly.

Valverde then baptizes him and he gives him the name Francisco, of all names.

And then he's not going to be burned.

The guards tie a cord around Atahualpa's neck.

And as Valverde leads the Spaniards in reciting the creed, Atahualpa is garrotted.

So that is the end of him.

But a couple more details.

First of all, the Spanish, of course, had promised him he would not be burned.

Now, they don't burn him to ashes.

They grill him.

They give him a grilling.

And then they leave his grilled body in the square overnight, quote, for everyone to learn of his death.

It's basically a message.

And that grilling, I think, is a gesture.

You know, you and I talked about this before we started recording.