Latin America colonization took place at the beginning of the sixteenth century, due to the Spanish Conquest. The Spanish Conquest can be described as a time where “Spanish adventurers were swarming by the hundreds to the West Indies, following the discovery of the Americas in 1492 by Christopher Columbus” (“The Spanish Conquest.”). During the conquest, their goal was to gain land and collect various resources for the investors that had made such trip possible. These adventeurers were named conquistadors. They can be defined as “professional military men from Spain who began arriving in the New World in the late 15th and early 16th centuries” ("Conquistadores: Spanish Conquests of South & Central America."). There were many conquistadors at this time such as Fransico Hernandez de Cordoba (c. 1475–1526), Hernan Cortes (c. 1485-1547), Juan de Grijalva (c. 1489-1527), but the most widely known conquistador Christopher Columbus (c.1451-1506). This started a wave of navigators from spain, many of whom would experience “staggering losses from dieases, shipwrecks, and hostile natives” (“The Spanish Conquest”). One of the many conquistadors was a man named Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. What made him very well known was his failed expedition in 1517 in which he led to conquer Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula. This expedition failed as Maya defeated him and his forces. Although it was a failed expedition, it sparked interest in Latin American land and it later led to Cortes's expedition in 1519. Cortes was famously known for his conquering of the Aztecs. According to the website history it states, "In 1519, Cortés was set to command his own expedition to Mexico when Velázquez cancelled it. Cortés ignored the order and traveled to Mexico anyway, setting his sights on overthrowing ruler Montezuma II in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan." Cortes rebelled against Velazquez and led an army, he conquered the Aztecs and later on sought appreciation and recognition for his acts. Ultimately, after the thousands of deaths of the Aztecs, Cortes became the governor of New Spain, what is now called Mexico. Now, Grijalva was the nephew of Governor Velasquez and accompanied him multiple times in his conquests. He was ultimately sent to explore the Yucatan Peninsula and set sail “from Cuba with four ships and about 200 men…he became the first navigator to set foot on Mexican soil and the first to use the term New Spain” and "Velázquez, as governor of Cuba, sent Grijalba to explore the Yucatán Peninsula. Setting sail from Cuba with four ships and about 200 men, Grijalba became the first navigator to set foot on Mexican soil and the first to use the term New Spain. He and his men mapped rivers and discovered Cozumel Island. During their explorations, the men heard tales of a rich civilization in the interior. (“Juan de Grijalva | Spanish explorer | Britannica.”). Grijalva hadn't actually conquered any land, as he was just a navigator, and because of this Velasquez was displeased with having no settlement and ultimately made Cortes take over. Columbus was the first to explore in 1492 he sailed his ship across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the Caribbean islands, this signaled the start of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. These conquistadors were the ones who conquered what we now know as Mexico and other parts of Latin America. In the eyes of the conquistadors, there were vast lands to be explored, gold and silver to be found, and indigenous people to be subjugated and ruled. During the conquest, there was a transition period of the Spanish introducing dominance to the Aztec culture. Upon the arrival of conquistadors and their troops. they stormed into Central and South America. Along with their arrival, they brought waves of death, ruin, and slavery while in attempts to establish a prosperous empire for Spain. The Spanish benefited highly from this conquest as it brought world influence driven by the riches taken from the Aztecs it put the Spanish as a world leader influencing the world with its culture, art, and religion. According to americanyawp it states, "Expeditions slowly began combing the continent and bringing Europeans into the modern-day United States in the hopes of establishing religious and economic dominance in a new territory." Due to the expeditions, the Spanish established their religion in Latin America which was dominated by Christianity and Catholicism to this day. The Spanish Conquest is an important part of history that many should know as it sparked several changes in regimes as well as impacted thousands of native people. People should know about the colonization brought by the Conquistadores and the importance of their role in the Spanish Conqeust as well as those behind them who funded the trips. The colonization brought death, ruin, and slavery to so many natives around the land all due to wanting power and riches.

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