The last ruler of the Inca Empire was Atahualpa. He became the emperor after a civil war against his half-brother Huascar, just before the arrival of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the early 1530s. Atahualpa's reign was short-lived, as he was captured by Pizarro's forces in November 1532 during their treacherous conquest of the Inca Empire. Despite offering a roomful of gold as ransom, he was executed by the Spanish in 1533. His death marked a critical turning point in the fall of the Inca Empire, leading to Spanish colonization of Peru and significant cultural and social changes in the region.