How did Pizarro capture Atahualpa at Cajamarca in 1532, according to Si Sheppard?

Si Sheppard says Atahualpa had just won a civil war against his brother Huáscar and saw Pizarro's roughly 168 men as an opportunity rather than a threat. When he entered a narrow courtyard at Cajamarca, Pizarro opened fire with artillery and muskets for shock and charged with horses. Inca troops, who had never heard gunpowder or faced cavalry, fled and crushed against the walls, and Atahualpa was taken prisoner.

• Dwarkesh Patel cites estimates that the Spanish killed thousands, perhaps about 10,000, while losing no one.
• Sheppard says the only Spanish injury was a cut to Pizarro's own hand from a comrade's blade as he grabbed Atahualpa.
• Atahualpa later offered to fill a room with gold and silver for his release, and Pizarro had him killed anyway.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dwarkesh Podcast (2026-10-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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