A lithograph showing a modern house built on the ruins of an ancient palace belonging to Inca emperor Atahualpa, in Cajamarca, Ecuador. 1870s. Engraved by Paul F矇d矇ric Chalon (1846-1919). Atahualpa (1497-1533) was the last Sapa Inca (sovereign emperor) of the Tawantinsuyu (the Inca Empire) before the Spanish conquest. During the Spanish conquest, the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa and used him to control the Inca Empire. Eventually, the Spanish executed Atahualpa, effectively ending the empire. The Inca Empire lasted from the 13th century until 1532 and its historic capital was Cuzco.