Spanish conquistadors were the people responsible for exploring as well as the conquest. It was up to them to spread the Spanish rule to a larger part of America. It is not wrong to say that the Spanish conquistadors had a major role in the success of Spain during the Imperial period.
One such famous Spanish conquistador was Francisco Pizarro, who was popularly known as El Viejo. He was the senior most conquistadors in age. In spite of not receiving any formal military training, he was considered to be one of the most brilliant generals. He also received the titles of Governor and Captain General. When he captured King Atahualpa, the King offered him enough gold to fill a 22 feet high room. Another one of his major achievements was the finding the city of Lima in 1535. In 1541, followers of Pedro de Almagro assassinated Pizarro in order to loot the wealth of Lima.
Another famous Spanish conquistador was Hernando Cortes. Cortes belonged to the noble family of Martin Cortes de Monroy. He studied in law college and also joined the voyage of Nicholas de Ovando; he also tried his hands in being a rancher in 1951. But all this did not last long. He started an expedition in to the regions of Mexico on the request of Velazquez. Soon he captured the town of Tabsco and also founded the town of La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz.
These two conquistadors played a major role in the history of Spanish Empire. These two are the not the only ones though, there are many more conquistadors who have not earned their due respect in history.
