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What were the Spanish conquistadors called who conquered Latin America?
conquistador, (Spanish: “conqueror”) plural conquistadores or conquistadors, any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century.
Who conquered much of Latin America?
Some of the most famous conquistadors and their territories of conquest include Hernan Cortes (Mexico), Juan Ponce de Leon (Puerto Rico and Florida), and Francisco Pizarro (Peru). The Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Incan Empires were two of the major episodes in the Spanish colonization of Latin America.
Who was the Spanish conqueror of the Americas?
Hernán Cortés
Led by emperor Motecuzoma II, the Mexica people had subdued their native enemies and now controlled a sprawling territory with the great city of Tenochtitlán at the center. Then the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés led an attack on the Mexica empire.
Did Spain conquer Latin America?
Beginning with Columbus in 1492 and continuing for nearly 350 years, Spain conquered and settled most of South America, the Caribbean, and the American Southwest.
Who was the most famous Spanish conqueror of Mexico?
Hernán Cortés is one of the most famous Spanish conquerors, having led the Conquest of Mexico and spread of the Spanish in the Americas. Afonso de Albuquerque is one of the most famous Portuguese conquerors, having expanded the Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean.
How did the Spanish conquistadors get their name?
For two centuries, these men explored the New World, conquering any native people they came across in the name of the King of Spain (and the hope of gold). They came to be known as the conquistadors. Who were these men?
Who was the first Spanish explorer to conquer Central America?
The Spanish conquest Rodrigo de Bastidas was first to establish Spain’s claim to the isthmus, sailing along the Darién coast in March 1501, but he made no settlement.
Where did the Spanish conquest of the Americas take place?
Next came the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America that encompassed parts of present-day Peru (site of the Incas’ capital city, Cuzco), Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Luckily for Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador who defeated the Incas, his timing couldn’t have been better.