The remains of Pizarro

Abstract

Historical investigation into the authenticity of conqueror Francisco Pizarro’s remains in the Cathedral of Lima. The author traces the history of the burials, from the Patio de los Naranjos to the Cathedral crypt. He presents documents, such as the exhumation act of 1661, certifying that at that date only Pizarro's skull existed in a lead box, having been lost the rest of the skeleton. Polo concludes that the complete mummified body exhibited subsequently (and authenticated by doctors in 1891) is apocryphal, likely belonging to another person, perhaps a viceroy or canon, due to the confusion of niches after centuries of neglect.