How the Spanish Reached and Conquered the Americas

1. Columbus's Voyages (1492–1504)

Sponsored by Ferdinand & Isabella, Christopher Columbus sailed west seeking Asia, landing in the Bahamas (Guanahani), then Cuba and Hispaniola. He made four voyages, establishing the first permanent European settlement (La Navidad, then Santo Domingo).

2. Early Exploration & Mainland Contact

• 1513: Vasco Núñez de Balboa crosses Isthmus of Panama → sights Pacific.
• 1519: Alonso Álvarez de Pineda maps Gulf Coast.

3. Conquest of Major Empires

• Aztec Empire (Mexico): Hernán Cortés (1519–1521) – alliances with Tlaxcalans, siege of Tenochtitlan.
• Inca Empire (Peru): Francisco Pizarro (1532–1533) – capture of Atahualpa, fall of Cusco.

4. Colonization & Administration

• Viceroyalties: New Spain (Mexico City), Peru (Lima), later New Granada (Bogotá), Río de la Plata (Buenos Aires).
• Encomienda / Repartimiento: Forced Indigenous labor systems.
• Missions: Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits convert and settle frontier zones (California, Texas, New Mexico, Paraguay).

5. Resources & Trade

Silver (Potosí, Zacatecas), gold, cochineal, sugar, hides shipped via flota system to Seville/Cádiz, financing Habsburg Europe.