Born in Pillaro in the modern Tungurahua Province in Ecuador, his given name was Ati II Pillahuaso. Inca historians tend to believe that he was Atahualpa's half-brother, born from a native noble woman. When Francisco Pizarro imprisoned Atahualpa and held him in the Ransom Room, Rumiñawi marched towards Cajamarca to deliver a huge amount of gold. But when the Spaniards broke their word, executing Atahualpa and slaughtering his troops, Rumiñawi returned to the kingdoms of Quito and is believed to have ordered the Treasure of the Llanganatis thrown off a cliff into a lake or crater.