With Atahualpa dead, the Spanish quickly elevated his brother Tupac Huallpa to the throne. Although Tupac Huallpa soon died of smallpox, he was one of a string of puppet Incas who allowed the Spanish to control the nation. When Atahualpa’s nephew Túpac Amaru was killed in 1572, the royal Inca line died with him, ending forever any hope for native rule in the Andes.
The successful conquest of the Inca Empire by the Spanish was largely due to unbelievable luck and several key mistakes by the Andeans. Had the Spanish arrived a year or two later, the ambitious Atahualpa would have consolidated his power and may have taken the threat of the Spanish more seriously and not allowed himself to be captured so easily. The residual hatred by the people of Cuzco for Atahualpa after the civil war certainly played a part in his downfall as well.
After Atahualpa’s death, some people back in Spain began asking uncomfortable questions, such as: “Did Pizarro have any legal right to invade Peru, take Atahualpa hostage, kill thousands and take away literally tons of gold, considering that Atahualpa had done nothing to him?” These questions were eventually solved by declaring that Atahualpa, who was younger than his brother Huáscar with whom he had been warring, had usurped the throne. Therefore, it was reasoned, he was fair game. This argument was very weak – the Inca did not care who was older, any son of Huayna Capac could have been king – but it sufficed. By 1572 there was a complete smear campaign in place against Atahualpa, who was called a cruel tyrant and worse. The Spanish, it was argued, had “saved” the Andean people from this “demon.”
Atahualpa today is seen as a tragic figure, a victim of Spanish ruthlessness and duplicity. This is an accurate assessment of his life. The Spanish not only brought horses and guns to the fight, they also brought an insatiable greed and violence which was just as instrumental in their conquest. He is still remembered in parts of his old Empire, particularly in Quito, where you can take in a fútbol game at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium.