Tumbes

Tumbes lies on the northern coast of Peru near the Gulf of Guayaquil. Its history reaches back before Inca rule to the Tumpis, whose communities occupied the region. Tumbes later came within the Inca sphere and stood along the coastal route into the Andean world.

Francisco Pizarro's expedition visited Tumbes in 1528 and returned in 1532 during the invasion of the Inca Empire. The Spaniards encountered resistance associated with the local leader Chilimasa. The events at Tumbes marked an early stage of the conquest, as the invaders moved from the coast toward the interior.