Tom Holland

Yeah, I know.

But the problem, I think, is they don't even do the bare minimum.

Because Pizarro's men are clearly disobeying him.

And we know this because he's having to send out constant instructions.

Stop looting gold and silver from the locals.

Stop mistreating people.

There's a story about a conquistador called Gonzalo Maldonado who ignores him.

He imprisons the high priest of Cusco and says, I won't let you out until you give me gold and silver.

And Pizarro basically has to threaten to execute this guy to force him to release the high priest.

It would still have been possible, surely.

for the people of cuzco the native people to rise up and wipe these people out yeah but at this point manco and therefore the elite are on their side on their side because of course at this point they are still using the spaniards in their own minds to conquer the north

And this is what's changing in Manco's mind.

And I suppose also what is starting to happen at the same time is that all these guys who've been told, brilliant, there's loads of gold out in Peru, who've been coming from Spain, are starting to turn up.

Are beginning to turn up.

So this is a huge thing.

The colonial officials across the rest of the Spanish Empire, that's the Caribbean, Central America, are already writing to Spain and saying, there's going to be nobody left.

The news from Peru is so extraordinary that old and young men alike are packing up to go there.

Unless they're tied down, we won't have a single citizen left.

That's from Puerto Rico.

So there are loads of such letters.