Dominic Sandbrook

So they're outside the city.

They offer no resistance when Soto turns up.

They don't interfere with him at all.

They just don't know what to do.

They're completely bewildered.

This has never happened before.

These people who might as well have come from the moon have captured their emperor.

They're just stunned.

And actually following Atahualpa's orders, which have clearly been drafted by the Spanish or interfered with by the Spanish, we're told that many of them dropped to their knees and made the sign of the cross, basically a sign of obedience to the Spaniards.

So that's all great for Pizarro.

Even better, when Soto gets back to the town, Soto says, I found a lot of stuff in the camp and I brought it with me.

80,000 pesos worth of gold, 7,000 marks worth of silver and 14 emeralds.

to quote the Spanish, the gold and silver were in monstrous effigies, large and small dishes, pitchers, jugs, basins, large drinking vessels, and various other pieces.

Atahualpa said that this all came from his table service.

So they've come back basically with Atahualpa's crockery.

And it dawns on the Spanish, I think at this point,

My God, these people place no value on gold and silver other than aesthetic.

It's pretty, so these guys like it, and bigwigs have it, but it has no monetary value to them because, of course, the Incas don't have money.

And Atahualpa sees the Spanish eyes glittering with excitement, and this gives him an idea, and this goes back to your reading at the beginning, Tom.

He says, well, if you love this stuff so much, I mean, this is my crockery.