His mother, named Francisca Gonzales, was a person
of humble condition in the town of Truxillo.2
But little is told of Francisco's early years, and that little not always
deserving of credit. According to some, he was deserted by both his
parents, and left as a foundling at the door of one of the principal
churches of the city. It is even said that he would have perished, had he
not been nursed by a sow.3 This is a more discreditable fountain of
supply than that assigned to the infant Romulus. The early history of
men who have made their names famous by deeds in after-life, like the
early history of nations, affords a fruitful field for invention.
It seems certain that the young Pizarro received little care from either of
his parents, and was suffered to grow up as nature dictated. He was
neither taught to read nor write, and his principal occupation was that of
a swineherd. But this torpid way of life did not suit the stirring spirit of
Pizarro, as he grew older, and listened to the tales, widely circulated and
se captivating to a youthful fancy, of the New World. He shared in the
popular enthusiasm, and availed himself of a favorable moment to
abandon his ignoble charge, and escape to Seville, the port where the
Spanish adventurers embarked to seek their fortunes in the West.
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