-
1492
Early Expeditions and Encounters
Christopher Columbus
reaches the Americas, landing on an island in the Bahamas. This marks the beginning of Spanish exploration and colonization. -
1504
Early Expeditions and Encounters
Columbus undertakes three more voyages to the Caribbean, exploring various islands including Hispaniola, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. -
1508
Conquest of the Caribbean
Juan Ponce de León
begins the conquest of Puerto Rico. -
1511
Conquest of the Caribbean
Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar
starts the connuest of Cuba. -
1519
Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Hernán Cortés lands on the coast of Mexico and begins his expedition towards the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. -
1521
Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Cortés captures
Tenochtitlan, leading to the fall of the Aztec Empire and the establishment of Mexico City. -
1524
Conquest of Central America
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Gil González Dávila start the conquest of Nicaragua. -
1524
Conquest of Central America
Pedro de Alvarado begins the conquest of Guatemala. -
1531
Conquest of the Inca Empire
Francisco Pizarro starts
his expedition to Peru. -
1533
Conquest of the Inca Empire
Pizarro captures the Inca emperor Atahualpa and subsequently conquers the Inca Empire. -
1535
Expansion into North and South America
Pedro de Mendoza
establishes Buenos Aires in Argentina. -
1537
Expansion into North and South America
Sebastián de
Belalcázar conquers parts of Colombia and Ecuador. -
1541
Final Stages and Consolidation
Santiago is founded in Chile by Pedro de Valdivia. -
1542
Expansion into North and South America
Francisco Vázquez
de Coronado explores the southwestern United States. -
1542
Final Stages and Consolidation
The Spanish establish the Viceroyalty of Peru. -
1562
Final Stages and Consolidation
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
founds St. Augustine in Florida, the oldest continuously inhabited European-established
settlement in the continental
United States.