What is the history of Central America in 1500s?

- Christopher Columbus arrives in Central America, specifically in what is now Honduras.

- Amerigo Vespucci explores the Caribbean coast of Central America.

1509:

- Spanish conquistadors led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa reach the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama.

1513:

- Balboa becomes the first European to explore the Pacific Ocean from the American continent.

1519:

- Hernán Cortés lands on the coast of what is now Mexico and begins the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

1524:

- Pedro de Alvarado, a lieutenant of Cortés, leads an expedition into Central America and conquers the Maya city-states of Iximché and Q'umarkaj.

1525:

- The Spanish found the city of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa (present-day Tegucigalpa, Honduras).

1527:

- The first African slaves are brought to Central America.

1530:

- The Spanish found the city of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala (present-day Antigua Guatemala).

1539:

- The Franciscans arrive in Central America and begin to evangelize the indigenous people.

1542:

- The Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas arrives in Central America and begins his campaign to defend the rights of the indigenous people.

1549:

- The Spanish Crown passes the New Laws, which improve the treatment of the indigenous people.