What was the land conquered by conquistadors?

What was the land conquered by conquistadors?

The highest level of Spanish government in America divided the conquests of the conquistadors into two enormous viceroyalties: the viceroyalty of New Spain, which included all of Mexico, Central America, and the West Indian islands—and the viceroyalty of Peru, which governed the Spanish conquests in South America.

What land areas did the Spanish conquistadors conquer?

Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and gaining control over more territory for over three centuries, the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, most of Central America and much of North America.

What did the Spanish conquistadors conquer?

Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.

What civilizations did the conquistadors conquer?

The conquistadors gained large amounts of silver and gold by conquering the Aztec and Inca empires, and even more by setting up mines to dig out the huge deposits of silver discovered in Mexico and Peru between 1545 and 1595.

What were the conquistadors looking for?

The Spanish Conquistadors were some of the first men to travel to the new world. They got their name from being both conquerors and explorers. They were mostly in search of gold and treasure. Cortes was one of the first Conquistadors.

Who was the most brutal conquistador?

Hernán Cortés
1. Hernán Cortés. Here you have it, the worst of all the conquistadors: Hernán Cortés. After his Cuban campaign, he went rogue and traveled to Mexico.

Where did Spain claim land?

That meant Spain claimed land stretching from what we know today as the state of California, through Mexico, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean Sea, and nearly all of South America. Portugal claimed what is now the largest nation in South America, Brazil.

How did the conquistadors defeat the Aztecs?

Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city. Cortés’s victory destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control over what became the colony of New Spain.

Is Christopher Columbus a conquistador?

Christopher Columbus was not a conquistador. He developed the sailing route that led to the “discovery” of the West Indies in the…

Was Magellan a conquistador?

No, Ferdinand Magellan wasn’t a conquistador, but you need to understand how historians and people in general use that word.

What did Spanish conquistadors wear?

Most conquistadors wore a full set of armor which consisted of a heavy breastplate, arm and leg greaves, a metal skirt, and protection for the neck and throat called a gorget.

What does conquistador mean literally in English?

one that conquers
Definition of conquistador : one that conquers specifically : a leader in the Spanish conquest of America and especially of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.

What did the conquistadors do in the New World?

Spanish Conquistadors. Spain was the first European country to build an empire in the New World. When Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) landed in the Caribbean islands in 1492, it alerted Spain to the existence of the New World and to prospects of precious metals and wealth to be gained there.

Where did conquistadors come from?

Conquistadors came from all over Europe. Some were German, Greek, Flemish, and so on, but most of them came from Spain, particularly southern and southwestern Spain. The conquistadors typically came from families ranging from the poor to the lower nobility. The very high-born rarely needed to set off in search of adventure.

What happened to the other conquistadors of Spain?

So when the Spanish crown passed the famously unpopular “New Laws” restricting conquistador privileges, the other conquistadors turned to Gonzalo, who led a bloody two-year revolt against Spanish authority before being captured and executed. Minster, Christopher. “10 Notable Spanish Conquistadors Throughout History.”

What are the names of the conquistadors?

Famous conquistadors who have been remembered in history include Francisco Pizarro, Juan Pizarro, Hernando Pizarro, Diego de Almagro, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon, Panfilo de Narvaez, Lope de Aguirre, and Francisco de Orellana.