Conquistador

At a glance

Dates: From 1513.

Type: occupation.

What came before

Background Hernando de Soto and Spanish conquistadors seeing the Mississippi River for the first time. Contrary to popular belief, many conquistadors were not trained warriors, but mostly artisans, lesser nobility or farmers seeking an opportunity to advance themselves in the New World since they had limited opportunities in Spain. [ 1 ] A few also had crude firearms known as arquebuses .

What happened

History A page of the Durán Codex (1576) depicting Hernán Cortés and La Malinche in Tenochtitlan Early Portuguese period Infante Dom Henry the Navigator of Portugal, son of King João I , became the main sponsor of exploration travels. In 1415, Portugal conquered Ceuta , its first overseas colony. Throughout the 15th century, Portuguese explorers sailed the coast of Africa, establishing trading posts for tradable commodities such as firearms, spices, silver, gold, and slaves crossing Africa and India. In 1434,

Conquistadors or conquistadores were Spanish and Portuguese colonists who explored, traded with, and conquered many parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania during the Age of Discovery. Sailing beyond the Iberian Peninsula, they established numerous colonies and trade routes, and brought much of the New World under the dominion of Spain and Portugal.