Who were the conquistadors and why did Spain send them to the Americas?

Who were the conquistadors and why did Spain send them to the Americas?

The Spanish Conquistadors had many goals, but the two primary reasons for conquering were to steal wealth for their country and to civilize the natives with religion—in particular, Catholicism.

Who came to the New World with the conquistadors?

Conquistadors were men from Spain and Portugal who travelled to the New World in order to conquer the people and land in this new part of the world. They founded many of the cities tow exist in Latin America.

When did the conquistadors come to America?

1492
Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and gaining control over more territory for over three centuries, the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, most of Central America and much of North America.

What did the Spanish conquistadors do to the natives?

In the Caribbean, most of the native populations were completely wiped out due to Spanish rapine and diseases. In Mexico, Hernan Cortes and Pedro de Alvarado (1485–1581) ordered the Cholula Massacre and the Temple Massacre respectively, killing thousands of unarmed men, women, and children.

What did the conquistadors give to the settlers?

Spanish conquistadors, settlers, priests, or colonial officials were given a repartimiento, or grant of land. These lands were often quite vast. The land included any Indigenous cities, towns, communities, or families that lived there.

Who was the leader of the Spanish conquest of Mexico?

Conquistador, (Spanish: “conqueror”) plural conquistadores or conquistadors, any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century. Hernán Cortés, 18th-century engraving.

When did Christopher Columbus give out the first encomiendas?

In the Americas, the first encomiendas were handed out by Christopher Columbusin the Caribbean. Spanish conquistadors, settlers, priests or colonial officials were given a repartimiento, or grant of land. These lands were often quite vast. The land included any native cities, towns, communities or families that lived there.

Where does the word conquistador come from in Spanish?

Conquistador (/kɒnˈk(w)ɪstədɔːr/, also US: /-ˈkiːs-/, Spanish: [koŋkistaˈðoɾ], Portuguese: [kũkiʃtɐˈdoɾ, kõkiʃtɐˈðoɾ]; from Spanish and Portuguese for “conqueror”) is a term widely used to refer to the knights, soldiers and explorers of the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire.