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For thousands of years, Cajamarca hosted a thriving civilization in the region now known as Peru. The Inca Empire was based on the land of Cajamarca (among other regions). By the 1500s, though, the Incan political system was recovering from a rather large blow to economic production (whatever little that may have been in comparison to European nations of the time). A recent civil war startled the Incans, they were likely to still be recovering from the devastations - particularly the War of the Two Brothers. These brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar, spent over 100,000 human lives in their bloodthirsty battle for control of the Inca Empire.

This left the civilization desperate for reunification, not to mention with a large population gap from what they previously had. Knowing that, back in the 1400s-1500s, the mechanisms for production in this type of society were quite limited - it is unlikely that the loss of 100,000 people went unnoticed. Though Atahualpa basked in the glory of winning his war, the empire in its entirety suffered immensely.

To explain this suffering of the empire, and the consequent elimination of the civilization and culture, we turn to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, lead by Pizzaro, a few hundred men, and perhaps 100 horses at most. Such a force is not considered a force by modern standards, but to the Incans, this group of soldiers was a force not to be reckoned with. To aide in the Spanish `invasion` was the superior technology: swords, horse, written communication, advanced strategy, and thousands of years of history in the minds of the men (especially the commanders) to draw upon at any moment.

Regardless of the technological advantages, the Spaniards also brought another important factor contributing to the fall of the Incan empire: disease. Disease has had its role throughout history and the case of the Collision at Cajamarca is not an exception. The Europeans had immunities to specific diseases that once came upon the European regions. The Incans did not, hence, they suffered considerably. Some sources claim that about 25% of the Incan population was killed by smallpox or a similar disease, while still others claim that up to 50% of the Incan population was killed.

There is a recognizable pattern in the mass extinction of Incan people: it starts in the city that the Spaniards first stepped foot in. Somehow, the diseases spread (this suggests that the Spaniards had some type of close contact with the Incans). Once an Incan was infected, others were likely to attempt to treat the infected one, and catch the disease too, out of ignorance, no doubt. Once the Incans realized what was going on, some fled the capital city and went to cities in the surrounding region. We now can see that such a move was a stupid idea, but it must be remembered that even if the Incans realized that, there would have been no stopping - especially if trade between cities in the Incan empire was quite common, and it is likely that it indeed was common.

And so, the Incans died by disease. It is not because the Spaniards had superior technology that the Inca Empire fell, though a notable factor. The Spaniards did not encounter suitable resistance to their entrance in the civilization. They may have met over 80,000 warriors at one point, though such a force of technologically handicapped soldiers was overcame by the swift strikes of the sword of the Spaniards mounted on horses, galloping through the thick rows of Incans - if the Incans were intelligent enough to arrange their foot soldiers in some order.

This is not an isolated event in history. There have been other times that a group of people with better technology have overcome a troubled civilization, empire, or nation. One surprising parallel that may be drawn is with the National Socialists (our “friends”, the Nazis) rising to power to form Nazi Germany (Third Reich, et al.). These particular events started after Germany was formed into an independent nation. Germany was still a rising power, and was not as seasoned as his neighbors and friends down the street - France, Spain, and England, among the bunch - and due to the economic problems of the time, the people were troubled. The German people were rioting. The National Socialist group stepped up to the plate and offered solutions to solve the problem: this is why not many Germans opposed as Hitler later spent billions of dollars in the Second World War. They were satisfied with the economic developments. This is similar to the troubles within the Inca Empire, minus the blood-bath of a war between two brothers. In comparison, it was a rather peaceful takeover, driven more by politics than by an army. The National Socialists did actually have an army, the SS, though the takeover was not as hostile. An interesting difference in this historical event and that of the Spaniards with the Inca Empire is that Germany went the opposite direction: instead of being invaded by people with superior technology, they ended up developing the superior technology and being the one to advance on others. This technology, in particular, was the tank. The Germans had a large advantage with the development of the armored tank, hence the continued production of tanks. Germany continued to use their mighty army of tanks to increase the amount of land for Germany.

Though not an exact clone of the instance of the Spaniards with the Inca Empire, Germany and the rising force of the National Socialists, along with the advanced technology (not to mention the strange influx of competent scientists, later claimed by Russia and the United States, which leads to the Cold War), it does serve to show that technology is an important factor in the events which determine whether one force versus another gains control of a region.