Major Discoveries by Spanish Explorers

• Americas (1492): Columbus – first European contact since Vikings.
• Pacific Ocean (1513): Balboa – crossed Isthmus of Panama.
• Tenochtitlan / Aztec Empire (1521): Cortés – conquest of Mexico.
• Inca Empire (1532): Pizarro – conquest of Peru.
• Florida (1513): Ponce de León.
• California Coast (1542): Cabrillo.
• Southwest US / Grand Canyon (1540s): Coronado – searched for Cíbola.

These voyages vastly expanded European geographic knowledge and initiated colonization.