Battle of Vilcaconga

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Vilcaconga


caption=
partof=the Spanish conquest of Peru
date=August to November 1533
place=Vilcaconga mountain pass, present-day Peru
result=Decisive, possibly pyrrhic Spanish victory
combatant1=Spanish Empire, along with native allies
combatant2=Inca Empire
commander1=Francisco Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Hernando Pizarro
Juan Pizarro
Diego de Almagro
commander2=Quizquiz
strength1=300 Spaniards
Possibly native auxiliaries
strength2=Unknown
casualties1=Unknown, but reportedly high
casualties2=UnknownAfter emerging as victors in the battle of Cajamarca, some 180 Spaniards under Francisco Pizarro were in control of major parts of the vast Inca Emperor and of its emperor, Atahualpa. After recovering a vast ransom for his release, Pizarro had the Inca executed on July 26 once his army disbanded and crossed the mountains to the south after rejoining Diego de Almagro, commanding some 100 Spaniards. The Incas under Atahualpas commander Quizquiz possessed, after the previous victory in the Inca Civil War tens of thousand Inca warriors around the area of Inca capital Cuzco, the main target of the Spanish conquistadors.

The Inca general commanded to fortified the mountain pass at Vilcaconga where the Spaniards would have to pass, and managed to ambush them, with great losses as consequense for the invaders. After a massive counter-attack, however, the numerically outnumbered Spaniards managed to rout the Inca forces and press further towards Cuzco, capturing the Inca capital by November 1533.