NAMES OF THE 3 MAIN CONQUERORS OF AMERICA - HISTORY - 2025

Some of the most important names of the conquerors of America were Cristóbal Colón, Francisco Pizarro, Núñez de Balboa or Hernán Cortés. The conquest of America was a process that began with the first expeditions to the continent. The first to explore this territory was Christopher Columbus, who arrived in America in 1492 when another was looking for a path to Asia.

Shortly after Columbus's voyages, new expeditions were made. For example, from 1497 to 1513, Américo Vespucio (Italian explorer and cartographer), sponsored by Portugal, carried out a series of expeditions that allowed him to determine that Columbus had reached a new continent.

Before Vespucci discovered this, the explorers considered the new territory to be part of Asia. This is why, in his honor, the new territory was called America.

Other expeditions had the objective of conquering the American territories. For example, the Inca, Aztec, and Maya empires were conquered in the 16th century by the Spanish.

List with the names of the most important conquerors of America

1- Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Vasco Núñez de Balboa was born in Spain, possibly in 1475. Vasco Núñez's family did not possess wealth, which is why from a young age he worked in the south of Spain in the houses of noble men.

Many of the ships that were heading to the New World stopped in this area to collect provisions, thus Núñez de Balboa came into contact with the idea of ​​going to America and, in 1501, he enlisted in an expedition that was destined for America. from the south.

The expedition explored the coastal areas of what is now known as Colombia. However, they could not settle here because they did not have the necessary provisions. For this reason, they went to Hispaniola (today Cuba and Haiti).

De Balboa tried to establish himself in the colony, but his business ideas failed. In debt, he decided to escape to San Sebastián by boarding a ship as a stowaway. Back at sea, De Balboa convinced the ship's captain that his experience in South America could be beneficial for the expedition.

When they arrived in San Sebastián, they discovered that the Spanish had abandoned this colony due to the continuous attacks by the American Indians.

Advised by de Balboa, the members of the expedition moved the colony west, where there was more fertile land. In this area, they had to fight against a group of natives.

The Spanish were victorious and created the first permanent settlement on the mainland of South America: Santa María.

In reward for his leadership, Vasco Núñez was appointed governor of Santa María. As governor, he established reciprocal relations with some natives and explored the west coast of South America.

Similarly, in 1513, it crossed the Isthmus of Panama, giving rise to the first exploration of the Pacific Ocean (formerly called the South Sea) by Europeans.

Vasco Núñez represented an important figure for the Spanish crown because, thanks to his explorations, Spain extended its control to the Pacific Ocean and the territories near it.

In 1514, he returned to Santa María and discovered that during his absence he had been replaced by Pedro Arias. In 1517, De Balboa was accused of wanting to take control of the South Sea, being guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

2- Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés is one of the most important figures in the conquest of America. Under his leadership, the expedition that would result in the fall of the Aztec Empire was carried out.

In 1518, Cortés set out from Hispaniola with 600 men on an expedition that sought to conquer the Aztec Empire. In 1519, Cortés landed on the coast of the territory that today is known as Mexico.

He understood that it was necessary to have native allies because he only had 530 men capable of fighting; However, to establish alliances, he needed to know the language of the tribes, the Nahualt.

Fortunately for Cortés, a Mayan cacique gave him a woman as a “gift”, Malintzin (known to the Spanish as “La Malinche”).

Malintzin was an Aztec woman who had been sold to the Mayans as a slave, so she could speak Nahualt. This woman learned Spanish easily and thus began to play the role of interpreter between Cortés and the Tlaxcala (Aztec tribe).

With the help of the Tlaxcala, Hernán Cortés conquered Mexican territory in just three years (1519-1521).

3- Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and conqueror who was born in 1476, in Trujillo, Extremadura. He is known for having conquered the territory occupied by the Inca Empire, today known as Peru. Very little is known about his early life and it is believed that he was an illiterate man.

In 1502 he went to America in search of new opportunities and settled in Central America, specifically in the territory that today is known as Panama. In 1513, he participated in the expedition to the Pacific led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa.

In 1524 and 1526, he tried to make expeditions to the Inca territory; however, these did not work. In 1531, he went to Peruvian territory, this time accompanied by 200 men.

This expedition resulted in the defeat of the Incas and the execution of Atahualpa, the emperor (1533). Later, he was in charge of the construction of the capital city: Lima.

Shortly after the installation of the capital city, Pizarro and his men faced Diego Almagro, another Spanish explorer interested in the Inca territory. The conflict resulted in Pizarro's victory. Almagro, for his part, was executed in 1538. Three years later, in 1541, Pizarro was assassinated by the followers of Almagro.

Other conquerors

-Pedro Álvares Carval, conqueror of Brazil.

-Pedro Alvarado, conqueror of the Mayan Empire. He took advantage of the rivalries between the tribes to be able to win.

-Juan Ponce de León, conqueror of Puerto Rico (1508) and Florida, USA (1513).

-Hernán de Soto, conqueror of the southern United States (1542).

-Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, conqueror of Arizona and New Mexico, USA (1542).

-Pedro de Valdivia, conqueror of Chile.

-Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, conqueror of Venezuela and Colombia.

References

1. Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Conquest of America. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, donqujote.org.
2. Amerigo Vespucci: Facts, Biography & Naming of America. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, livescience.com.
3. Spanish Conquistadors. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from elizabethan-era.org.
4. Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from intranet.paulding.k12.ga.us.
5. Defining Heroes and Villains: The Legacy of Hernando Cortes and the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from lanic.utexas.edu.
6. Francisco Pizarro. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from biography.com.
7. Francisco Pizarro. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from www.infoplease.com.
8. Latin America History: The Conquistadors. Retrieved on March 2, 2017, from latinamericanhistory.about.com