Who were the Conquistadors?

What is a Conquistador?

The term "conquistador," derived from the Spanish word for "conqueror," refers to the leaders of military expeditions that seized territories in the Americas. However, these men were more than just opportunistic land-grabbers—their campaigns also carried religious significance. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued a decree that gave God’s authority for the Catholics of Spain to act as “lords” over those who inhabited the territories they discovered.

The First “Unofficial” Conquistador

In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). At first, the indigenous people tried to appease him and his men with gifts of gold and women in the hope they would take the treasure and leave. Instead, the invaders took the gifts as proof of the untapped hidden wealth of what they called the “New World.”

Originally from Genoa, Italy, Columbus was not considered a conquistador because of his nationality. However, his voyages at the end of the 1400s did set the stage for the imperialistic conquistadors who dominated the 16th century.

Conquest of the Americas

By 1508, the conquistadors had invaded Hispaniola and other islands, including Puerto Rico. They requisitioned land for agriculture and forced Indigenous people to work for them while missionaries tried to convert the locals to Catholicism.

However, the conquistadors also faced pressure to acquire valuable resources. They were funded by creditors back in Spain, who expected to be repaid handsomely. So, they had to send raw materials of high value back to the homeland in order to pay off their loans and secure new funding. 

Gold and silver, those two precious metals, are the absolute best objects that can be found in the Americas. Why? Because they're highly valued in Europe.

Professor Matthew Restall, Director of Latin American Studies at Penn State University

The Spanish continued their expansion, conquering Cuba in 1511 after a conflict with the indigenous population. While they found fewer precious metals than anticipated, rumours persisted that the mainland was filled with great wealth. 

Hernán Cortés was selected to lead an expedition to the mainland, despite a dispute with the governor of Cuba that nearly cost him his charter. Defying orders, Cortés departed in February 1519.

Hernán Cortés

In 1519, the Aztec Empire was at its peak, controlling much of central Mexico. Tenochtitlan was the largest city in the Americas and one of the largest in the world—around five times the size of Tudor London. 

The Aztec ruler was Moctezuma II, who had expanded the empire's territory through military campaigns. This expansion had created tensions with neighbouring Indigenous nations. Hernán Cortés exploited these existing conflicts, using a combination of coercion, manipulation, and alliances to recruit Indigenous warriors to his cause against Moctezuma and the Aztec state.

On November 8th, 1519, Cortés marched into Tenochtitlan and was received warmly by the Aztec leader. Why? No one knows for sure. Perhaps Moctezuma II feared that the Spanish would lay waste to his magnificent city, or maybe the king thought he could negotiate a profitable trade alliance with the Europeans.

Despite Moctezuma's initial diplomatic approach, tensions escalated quickly. Within days of their arrival, Cortés forcibly detained the Aztec ruler. Spanish soldiers soon occupied the palace, while the conquistadors began to impose their presence on the city.

La Noche Triste

Unfortunately for Cortés, he had never been given licence to seize lands; he was merely a form of Spanish scout. Eager to remind Cortés of his station, a Spanish army arrived on the shores of Mexico a few months later. Cortés marched to meet them, and upon hearing about all that he had achieved, the army abandoned their original mission and came to his side. However, when they returned, they found that Tenochtitlan had descended into chaos. During Cortés’s two-month absence, his deputy went looking for Aztec gold, tortured priests and nobles, and started a riot during the annual religious festival. While trying to placate his people, Moctezuma II was killed. Cortés knew he could no longer hold Tenochtitlan and fled in a humiliating retreat known as La Noche Triste.

Retaliation and Expansion

In 1521, Cortés returned and laid siege to Tenochtitlan. After months of fierce fighting, the city fell, marking the end of the Aztec Empire. After his victory over the Aztecs, Cortés named his territory New Spain. Over the following decade, Spanish forces expanded their control, establishing settlements in what are now Venezuela, Honduras, and Guatemala, fundamentally altering the socio-political landscape of Central America.

In 1531, Francisco Pizarro encountered the Incas in the south of the continent. This empire was one of the largest in the world, but at the time, it was in disarray due to a civil war and the relentless spread of disease (most likely smallpox, which the Spanish brought to South America).

Seizing an opportunity, Pizarro took an Incan emperor named Atahualpa captive. Fearing for his life, Atahualpa offered to fill a room with gold and silver in exchange for his release—a promise he fulfilled. But despite holding up his end of the bargain, Pizarro had Atahualpa killed.

Elsewhere, conquistadors pushed north, searching for fabled gold.

It becomes a sort of children's adventure story where they're looking for the Fountain of Youth or the City of Gold. Essentially, they're looking for another Aztec empire, but there isn't one in North America.

Professor Matthew Restall, Director of Latin American Studies at Penn State University

Legacy

The conquistadors are best remembered for what they stole from the people they suppressed: the material wealth of the Aztecs, the sophisticated empire of the Incas, and the lives of millions of indigenous Americans via diseases they introduced. 

Four hundred years on, the effects of their colonisation continue to shape America, influencing languages, cultures, and societal structures.