Spanish Colonies in the Western Hemisphere: Complete List by Region

Spain's American empire was the first global empire "on which the sun never set." Here's a comprehensive breakdown by region with colonization dates:

North America & Caribbean

• Hispaniola (1493) — first permanent settlement (La Isabela, then Santo Domingo)
• Cuba (1511) — Diego Velázquez conquest
• Puerto Rico (1508) — Juan Ponce de León
• Jamaica (1509) — captured by England 1655
• Lesser Antilles (1493–1565) — various islands, many lost to rivals
• Mexico (1519–1521) — Cortés topples Aztec Empire; Viceroyalty of New Spain
• Guatemala (1523–1524) — Pedro de Alvarado
• Honduras (1524)
• El Salvador (1525)
• Nicaragua (1524)
• Costa Rica (1524)
• Panama (1524) — key transit; separate audiencia
• Florida (1565) — St. Augustine founded; ceded to US 1819
• Southwest US (1538–1821) — NM, AZ, CO, UT, NV, CA; lost to Mexico 1821, US 1848

South America

• Venezuela (1522) — first mainland settlement (Cumaná)
• Colombia (1525) — Santa Marta; New Granada viceroyalty
• Ecuador (1534) — Quito; part of New Granada
• Peru (1531–1533) — Pizarro conquers Inca; Viceroyalty of Peru
• Bolivia (1535) — Potosí silver; Upper Peru (Charcas)
• Chile (1541) — Santiago founded; Mapuche resistance
• Paraguay (1537) — Asunción; Jesuit reductions
• Uruguay (1726) — Montevideo; Banda Oriental contested
• Argentina (1536) — Buenos Aires (refounded 1580); Río de la Plata viceroyalty (1776)

Governance Structure

• Viceroyalties: New Spain (Mexico City), Peru (Lima), New Granada (Bogotá), Río de la Plata (Buenos Aires)
• Audiencias: High courts with administrative power
• Encomienda → Repartimiento → Hacienda labor systems

Legacy

Spanish language, Catholicism, civil law, and mestizo culture dominate 20+ independent nations today.