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Spanish conquerors (Hernan Cortes (In 1519, the ambitious Hernán Cortés…
Spanish conquerors
Hernan Cortes
In 1519, the ambitious Hernán Cortés set out from Cuba with 600 men on an expedition to the mainland in present-day Mexico.
By deftly exploiting traditional feuds and rivalries among the tribes that made up the Empire, he was able to conquer the mighty Aztecs, securing a vast fortune and noble title for himself.
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Lope de Aguirre
Still, Lope de Aguirre was crazier than most. He already had a reputation for being violent and unstable in 1559
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Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado was in a class by himself. Known by the natives as "Tonatiuh," or "Sun God" for his blonde hair
Alvarado was Cortés' most trusted lieutenant, and the one Cortés trusted to explore and conquer lands to the south of Mexico.
Alvarado found the remnants of the Maya Empire and using what he had learned from Cortés, soon turned local ethnic groups' mistrust of one another to his advantage.
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Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro took a page from Cortes' book, capturing Atahualpa, Emperor of the Inca, in 1532.
Atahualpa agreed to a ransom and soon all the gold and silver of the mighty Empire was flowing into Pizarro's possession.
Playing off Inca factions against one another, Pizarro made himself master of Peru by 1533.
The natives rebelled on several occasions, but Pizarro and his brothers always managed to put these insurrections down. Pizarro was killed by the son of a former rival in 1541.
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Panfilo de Narvaez
He made a name for himself by ruthlessly participating in the conquest of Cuba, but there was little gold or glory to be had in the Caribbean.
Next, he was sent to Mexico to rein in the ambitions Hernán Cortés: Cortés not only beat him in battle but took all of his men and went on to conquer the Aztec Empire.
His expedition was a disaster of colossal proportions: only four out of 300 men survived, and he was not among them. He was last seen floating off on a raft in 1528.
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Diego de Almagro
He was a partner with Francisco Pizarro when Pizarro looted the wealthy Inca Empire, but Almagro was in Panama at the time and missed out on the best treasure.
Later, his quarrels with Pizarro led to his leading an expedition south, where he discovered present-day Chile but found little more than harsh deserts and mountains and the toughest natives this side of Florida.
Returning to Peru, he went to war with Pizarro, lost, and was executed.
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Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nuñez de Balboa (1475-1519) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer of the early colonial era.
He is credited with leading the first European expedition to discover the Pacific Ocean (which he referred to as the "South Sea").
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Gonzalo Pizarro
By 1542, Gonzalo was the last of the Pizarro brothers in Peru. Juan and Francisco were dead, and Hernando was in prison in Spain.
So when the Spanish crown passed the famously unpopular "New Laws" restricting conquistador privileges, the other conquistadors turned to Gonzalo
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