Atahualpa is asteroid #4721 and also known as 4239 T-2. Atahualpa was discovered by the Palomar-Leiden survey at the Palomar Observatory. Atahualpa is a member of the asteroid-clan Flora/ Ariadne.

Atahualpa is named after Atawallpa or Ataw Wallpa, the last ruler of the Incas. He was born around 1500 A.D. and was the son of the Inca king Huayna Cápac and a local princess of Quito, which was a territory conquered by the Incas. Huayna Cápac died in 1527 A.D. This caused a war of succession between Atawallpa and his half-brother Huáscar. Atawallpa won this war in 1532, but then the conquistadors invaded the Inca territory and Francisco Pizarro González, usually only referred to as Francisco Pizarro, captured Atawallpa. When he understood that the Spaniards wanted gold, then he promised a room filled with gold for releasing him. The Incas really paid a huge ransom. But the Spaniards’ greed was only increased this way, so they executed Atawallpa, ended the Inca empire, and made the territory a colony of Spain.

Atahualpa hints to the Inca civilization. Atahualpa can indicate the end of a monarchy or of a government or of a certain system of government. Atahualpa represents political captives. But the key meanings of Atahualpa should be bad deals, making a big loss in consequence of such a deal, naïveté, and negotiating from an inferior position.