Conquistadors << kon KEES tuh dawrz >> were Spaniards who conquered Indigenous (native) peoples in parts of Latin America mainly during the first half of the 1500’s. Conquistador is a Spanish word meaning conqueror. Most conquistadors had little interest in exploration. Nevertheless, they were often the first Europeans to enter the regions they conquered, and some settled in those areas. The most famous conquistadors were Hernán Cortés, who defeated the Aztec Empire in Mexico, and Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru. See also Almagro, Diego de; Cortés, Hernán; Pizarro, Francisco.
