Alvarado, << `ahl` vah RAH thoh, >> Pedro de (1485?-1541), helped Hernán Cortés subdue the Aztec people in Mexico and later conquered Guatemala. Born in Badajoz, Spain, Alvarado went to the Caribbean Islands in 1510. In 1518, he joined an expedition led by Juan de Grijalva to southern Mexico.
Alvarado accompanied Cortés to Mexico in 1519. After Cortés conquered Mexico in 1521, he sent Alvarado to seize Guatemala. Alvarado succeeded in 1524 with the help of American Indian allies. In 1525, he conquered El Salvador for Spain and directed the founding of the capital city, San Salvador. Alvarado became governor of Guatemala. Alvarado died on July 4, 1541.
