Spanish conquest
New World subjugation
Spanish conquest refers to the period of Spanish colonial expansion, particularly the 16th-century military campaigns that subjugated indigenous civilizations in the Americas.
The term most commonly evokes the conquests of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés and the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro.
These conquests established Spain as a dominant colonial power and resulted in profound demographic, cultural, and political transformations across Latin America.
The Spanish conquest brought diseases that decimated native populations.
- smallpox epidemicWidespread occurrence of variola
- military campaignsOrganized military operations
- slaveryOwnership of people
- conquistadorsSpanish colonial soldiers
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
Hernán Cortés · Yucatán Peninsula · Christopher Columbus · Hispaniola · naval exploration · Mesoamerica · Peru · colonial rule · social hierarchy · plunder · galleons · Inca · resource extraction · gold · silver mines · Pizarro · missionaries · Mexico
- Americas HistoryAmerican Revolution, Aztec Empire, colonial era, colonization, Columbus
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
- conquestcapture, invasion, domination, subjugation, colonization
- colonial historycolonization, colonies, pilgrims, Jamestown, Plymouth
- Atlantic HistoryAtlantic crossing, transatlantic trade, transatlantic crossing, Columbus, triangle trade
- Caribbean historyJamaica, Haiti, Barbados, Cuba, Trinidad
Spanish conquestindigenous sovereignty
Native peoples' self-governance rights
indigenous resistance · native resistance · Aztec Empire · Inca Empire
Spanish conquestpeaceful settlement
Nonviolent dispute conclusion
diplomatic negotiation · peaceful coexistence · diplomatic relations · trade partnership · cultural exchange
Spanish conquestcultural preservation
Protecting community traditions and artifacts