The conquistadors, meaning "conquerors", were Iberian military adventurers who operated as the vanguard of empires in the 15th and 16th centuries by exploring areas of the world unknown to Europeans, defeating indigenous armies, and then distributing loot and land. By the mid-16th century, conquistadors had been replaced by a more systematic colonialization process of local government and permanent settlers.
More about: ConquistadorDefinition
Timeline
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1465 - 1524Life of the conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar who conquered and then governed Cuba.
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c. 1475 - 1538Life of the Spanish conquistador Diego de Almagro.
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c. 1478 - 1541Life of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
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c. 1485 - 1541Life of the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado.
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1485 - 1547Life of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
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1489 - 1527Life of the conquistador Juan de Grijalva.
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1492 - c. 1580Life of the Spanish conquistador and chronicler Bernal Díaz.
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c. 1500 - 1542Life of the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto.
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1511 - 1513Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar conducts the Spanish conquest of Cuba.
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19 Jun 1513The notary Rodrigo de Colmemares reads out the Spanish Requirement for the first time to indigenous people in Colombia.
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1517Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar sends an expedition led by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba to explore the Yucatán peninsula.
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1518Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar sends an expedition led by Juan de Grijalva to explore the Yucatán peninsula.
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Apr 1518Juan de Grijalva leads an expedition to explore the eastern coast of Mexico.
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1519Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar sends an expedition led by Hernán Cortés to explore the Yucatán peninsula.
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1519 - 1521Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar and Hernán Cortés contest who has the legal right to lead the conquest of Mexico.
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May 1520Hernán Cortés is obliged to leave Tenochtitlan and face a rival force of conquistadors led by Panfilo de Narváez at Veracruz.
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30 Jun 1520The bloody retreat of Hernán Cortés from Tenochtitlan known as the Noche Triste ('Sad Night').
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7 Jul 1520Hernán Cortés defeats a large Aztec army at Otumba.
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31 Dec 1520Hernán Cortés captures the city of Texcoco.
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13 Aug 1521The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan falls into the hands of Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés.
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1522Hernán Cortés leads an expedition against the Huaxtecs in Mexico.
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1523 - 1524Hernán Cortés organises an expedition to Honduras led by Cristóbal de Olid.
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1523 - 1524The conquistador Pedro de Alvarado leads the conquest of the Maya in Guatemala.
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May 1523Hernán Cortés is appointed the first governor of the colony of New Spain (Mexico).
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1525 - 1528The conquistador Pedro de Alvarado leads the conquest of El Salvador.
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1525Juan de Grijalva leads the naval part of a Spanish expedition to explore northern Mexico.
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1527Pedro de Alvarado is offically made the governor of Guatamala.
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Jan 1527The Spanish conquistador Juan de Grijalva is killed in Honduras.
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May 1528Hernán Cortés returns to Spain and is honoured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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1531 - 1532Hernán Cortés explores the Pacific coast of North America as far as California.
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1532Francsico Pizarro and the Spanish conquistadors arrive in South America.
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15 Nov 1532Hernando de Soto reads out the Spanish Requirement to the Inca ruler Atahualpa.
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1534Pedro de Alvarado leads an expedition of conquistadors to Ecuador and Peru.
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Jul 1535Diego de Almagro leads a 20-month long expedition to explore Chile.
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1537Hernando de Soto is made a Knight of Santiago, the governor of Cuba, and awarded the status of adelantado for North American exploration.
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1538The Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado is made the governor of Honduras.
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1539 - 1542The spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto leads an expedition of discovery and conquest in Florida and the southwestern part North America.
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1540Pedro de Alvarado joins an expedition led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado to explore North America.
