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Spanish Conquistador Research Paper

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The Spanish conquistadors were some of the greatest conquerors and explorers in the America region, even after the death of Christopher Colombus, one of the most successful Spanish conquistadors during his time. The conquistadors were motivated by money, glory, and religion, and all conquistadors weren’t just explorers, but came from various backgrounds. Some were originally priests, soldiers, scientists, it didn’t matter what you were previously, they all were driven and motivated by the same things. There were many conquistadors from Spain that were successful, including people such as Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortes, known for exploring the Americas, as well as conquering the Aztecs and Peru. These conquistadors benefited and took advantage of many things over the native …show more content…
The indigenous populations encountered cannons, gunpowder, swords, and modern tactics used by the Spaniards at the time, which they didn’t have much to counteract with, just wooden cross bows, spears, and arrows. The conquistador’s naval ships also played a huge role in their superiority in the Americas, which allowed them to navigate through coastal countries without many problems. Another major weapon used was the introduction of diseases, although unintentional. Smallpox, measles, and typhus are some of the diseases that have had a devastating effect on the indigenous population, wiping out villages. One conquistador that played a pivotal role in the Spanish conquest was Hernan Cortes, who led the army in the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521, which is in present day Mexico. Cortes was born in 1485 in Medellin, Spain, and studied in Salamanca initially but had an urge to explore the “New World,” so that’s when Cortes decided to join Diego Velasquez’s exploration of Cuba. Cortes initially settled and captured Cuba, but after some time decided to head to present day

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