Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire between 1532 and 1572 produced one of history's most lopsided military outcomes — a few hundred Spanish soldiers dismantling a civilization of millions, largely through the capture and execution of Sapa Inca Atahualpa at Cajamarca. The ransom paid for Atahualpa's release before his eventual murder amounted to a room filled with gold and two rooms of silver, the single largest ransom in recorded history.
Cook Islands issued numerous $50 silver crowns in this period targeting the collector market directly, with this Pizarro piece part of a broader explorer series produced under license arrangements common to the island's prolific commemorative program of the early 1990s.
Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire between 1532 and 1572 produced one of history's most lopsided military outcomes — a few hundred Spanish soldiers dismantling a civilization of millions, largely through the capture and execution of Sapa Inca Atahualpa at Cajamarca. The ransom paid for Atahualpa's release before his eventual murder amounted to a room filled with gold and two rooms of silver, the single largest ransom in recorded history.
Cook Islands issued numerous $50 silver crowns in this period targeting the collector market directly, with this Pizarro piece part of a broader explorer series produced under license arrangements common to the island's prolific commemorative program of the early 1990s.