Did the Conquistadors Find the Northwest Passage?

No. The Northwest Passage—a sea route through the Arctic Archipelago connecting the Atlantic and Pacific—was first successfully navigated by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in 1903–1906 (with a small crew on the Gjøa).

The conquistadors (16th-century Spanish explorers/conquerors like Cortés, Pizarro, Coronado, de Soto) focused on:

• Conquering the Aztec (1521) and Inca (1533) empires.
• Searching for gold, silver, and mythical cities (Cíbola, El Dorado).
• Establishing New Spain (Mexico, Central America, SW U.S., Philippines).

They explored coastal California, the Gulf of California, and the Colorado River but never penetrated the Arctic. The Northwest Passage lies thousands of kilometers north of their operating theater.

Other notable seekers: Frobisher, Davis, Hudson, Baffin, Franklin (lost 1845), McClure (first to transit partly by ship/sledge, 1850–54), Amundsen (first full transit by sea).