History of South America

What is the name of spanish explorers who claimed land in Caribbean and central south America for Spain?

The Spanish explorers who claimed land in the Caribbean and Central and South America for Spain are known as conquistadors. These explorers played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas during the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of the most famous conquistadors include:

1. Hernán Cortés: He led an expedition that resulted in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico in the early 16th century.

2. Francisco Pizarro: He conquered the Inca Empire in present-day Peru in the 1530s.

3. Vasco Núñez de Balboa: He was the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean from the American mainland in 1513.

4. Juan Ponce de León: He explored Florida in 1513, becoming the first European to set foot on mainland North America.

5. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: He explored the southwestern United States and Mexico in the 1530s.

6. Hernando de Soto: He explored the southeastern United States in the 1540s.

7. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado: He explored the southwestern United States in the 1540s.

These conquistadors and their expeditions played a pivotal role in establishing Spain's colonial empire in the Americas, which would shape the history and development of the region for centuries to come.