Conquistador Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Conquistador (meaning "Conqueror" in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under Spanish rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. Columbus's discovery of the New World in 1492 afforded Spain a headstart in Colonization of the Americas. The Americas is the area encompassing both North and South America and the Caribbean.
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2 History 3 Debate on the Human Rights of Natives 4 List of Famous Conquistadors and Explorers 5 Additional Info |
The leaders of Spanish expeditions to the New World called themselves conquistadores a name that denotes connectedness with the reconquista, the Christian desire to (re)conquer the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim Moors (711-1492). They also evoked the name of Santiago Matamoros ("St. James the Moor-killer") before going into battle against the Native population of the Americas. Many conquistadors were poor nobles (hidalgoss) seeking a fortune in the West Indies, since there were limited prospects in Europe.
The first Spanish conquest in the Americas was the island of Hispaniola. From there Juan Ponce de León conquered Puerto Rico and Diego Velázquez took Cuba. The first settlement on the mainland was Darién in Panama, settled by Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1512.
The most successful Conquistador was Hernán Cortés. Between 1520 and 1521 Cortés along with some Native American allies conquered the mighty Aztec empire, thus brining present day Mexico (then called New Spain) under the dominion of the Spanish empire. Of comparable importance was the conquest of the South American Inca empire by Francisco Pizarro.
Rumours of golden cities (Cibola in North America and El Dorado in South America) caused several more expeditions to leave for the Americas, but many returned without finding any gold or finding less gold than expected or finding Fool's Gold. Some Incan gold was found in South America and taken back to Spain, this lead to additional Conquistador expiditions in South America.
Most of the conquistadors cruelly mistreated the inhabitants of the regions they visited or conquered, killing, enslaving and otherwise abusing them. Some Spaniards, notably the priest Bartolomé de Las Casas defended Native Americans against the abuses of conquistadors. In 1542 new Spanish colonial laws known as the New Laws of 1542 were passed to protect the rights of Native inhabitants. In 1552, Bartolomé de las Casas published Short Account of the Destruction of the West Indies (Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias).
One memorable conquistadora (the feminine form of conquistador) was Ines Suarez. Ines came to the Americas around 1537, around the age of thirty, in search of her husband. After days of continuous searching in numerous South American countries, she found the dead body of her husband. Shortly afterwards, Suarez became the mistress of the great conqueror of Chile at that time.
This is an Article on Conquistador. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Conquistador Background
History
Debate on the Human Rights of Natives
List of Famous Conquistadors and Explorers
Additional Info