Final answer:
Francisco Pizarro is best known for his conquest of the Inca Empire, discovering significant quantities of gold and silver, and founding Lima, Peru. His discovery encompassed land, wealth, and the Inca people and their culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Francisco Pizarro is renowned for his conquest of the Inca Empire, which led to his discovery of abundant wealth, specifically immense quantities of gold and silver, and the expansion of Spain's territorial claims. Pizarro's expeditions, beginning in 1509, brought him to the Caribbean and later to the Andes where he encountered the Inca civilization.
The impact of Pizarro's discovery was profound: it led to significant cultural and population changes due to the conquest, established a new Spanish colony rich in precious metals, and drastically altered the existing economic and social systems of the indigenous people.