The first Spaniards landed in northern Ecuador in 1526.  Pizarro reached the country in 1532 and spread terror among indigenous populations, thanks to his conquistadors' horses, armory and weaponry. The famous Incan leader, Atahualpa, was ambushed,held for ransom, 'tried' and executed, and the Incan Empire was effectively demolished. Quito held out for two years but was eventually razed by Atahualpa's general, Rumiñahui, who preferred it to be destroyed rather than lost intact to the invading Spaniards. Quito was refounded in December 1534.  Today, only one Incan site remains intact in Ecuador - Ingapirca, to the north of Cuenca.Although indigenous uprisings occurred, life was abysmal under Spanish rule. Spain ruled the colony from Lima, Peru, until 1739, when it was transferred to the viceroyalty of Colombia. It was largely rural and conservative, with large estates of introduced cattle and bananas farmed by forced labor