Hernando de Soto /də ˈsoʊtoʊ/; Spanish: ; c. 1500 – May 21, 1542 was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, but is best known for leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States (through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and most
Bartolomé Ruiz c. 1482 in Moguer, Spain – c. 1532 in Cajamarca, Peru was a Spanish conquistador. He started his career as Christopher Columbus’s pilot, before joining Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro on their conquest of Peru. Ruiz was a member of the Famous Thirteen. He is also the first European to see Ecuador, and the first to land and begin European exploration there.
XGaspar de Portolá Catalan: Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira; 1716–1786 was a Spanish military officer and administrator, famous for leading the Portolà expedition into California in 1769. During the expedition Portolà was responsible for the establishment of San Diego and Monterey and came to eventually rule as the first Governor of the Californias (both Alta California
Alonso del Castillo Maldonado died after 1547 was an early Spanish explorer in the Americas. He was one of the last four survivors of the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition, along with Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza and his African slave Estevanico. They were the early non-native people to travel and be
Juan Ponce de León Spanish pronunciation: ; 1474 – July 1521 (/ˌpɒns də ˈliːən/, also UK: /ˌpɒnseɪ də leɪˈɒn/, US: /ˌpɒns də liˈoʊn, ˌpɒns(ə) deɪ -/), was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and served in the Spanish military from
Francisco Pizarro González /pɪˈzɑːroʊ/; Spanish: ; c. 1471–1476 – 26 June 1541 was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose to pursue fortune and adventure in the New World. He went to the Gulf of Urabá, and accompanied Vasco Núñez de Balboa in his crossing of
Pedro Arias de Ávila 1440 – March 6, 1531 often Pedrarias Dávila was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator. He led the first great Spanish expedition to the mainland of the New World. There he served as governor of Panama (1514–1526) and Nicaragua (1527–1531), and founded Panama City (1519). He completed a Spanish expedition to Panama and founded Panama
Francisco de Orellana Bejarano Pizarro y Torres de Altamirano Spanish pronunciation: ; 1511 – November 1546 was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He completed the first known navigation of the entire length of the Amazon River, which initially was named “Rio de Orellana.” He also founded the city of Guayaquil in what is now Ecuador. Orellana
Vasco Núñez de Balboa Spanish pronunciation: ; c. 1475 – around January 12–21, 1519 was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World. He traveled to the New World in 1500 and, after
Miguel López de Legazpi Spanish pronunciation: ; c. 1502 – August 20, 1572, also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo (The Elder), was a Spanish navigator and governor who established the first Spanish settlement in the East Indies when his expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean from the Viceroyalty of New Spain in modern-day Mexico, arriving in Cebu in the Philippine Islands in 1565. He was the first Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies, which was