Pizarro's Tomb

The actual remains of the conquistador, finally identified in 1977

The tomb of Francisco Pizarro sits in a glass-fronted side chapel near the cathedral's main entrance, holding the embalmed remains and a lead casket. The display was reconfigured after a 1977 forensic study established that the body shown to visitors for centuries was not Pizarro's at all — the real remains, identified by injuries consistent with his 1541 assassination by political rivals, were found in a sealed lead box in the crypt below.

The chapel is small and easily overlooked; the painted ceiling above shows scenes from Pizarro's life and conquest of the Inca. Information panels (in Spanish and English) cover the dramatic story of the mistaken identity.

things to do sight centro historico
A story
For 400 years, the embalmed body displayed in the cathedral as Pizarro's was someone else's — possibly an unknown nobleman. The real Pizarro, with a stabbed-out eye consistent with his 1541 assassination, was discovered in a sealed lead box in the crypt during 1977 restoration work.