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Apr 2, 1513
Juan Ponce de León
Led an expedition with three ships and more than 200 men to Bimini from Puerto. He accidentally landed in present-day Florida which he thought was an island. -
Sep 25, 1513
Vasco Nuñez Balboa
Led an expedition to search for gold and ends up discovering the Pacific Ocean and claims all the land on the shore for Spain. -
Jan 14, 1518
Juan de Grijalva
He was one of the first to explore the eastern coast of Mexico. -
Period: Sep 20, 1519 to Sep 6, 1522
Ferdinand Magellan
He was the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic.Completed the first circumnavigation of the globe. -
Aug 13, 1521
Hernán Cortés
Overthrew the Aztec empire and won Mexico for the king and queen of Spain. -
Nov 15, 1532
Francisco Pizarro
With his brothers, Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader Atahualpa and conquered Peru. He also founded the new capital city of Lima. -
May 18, 1539
Hernando de Soto
Discovered the mouth of the Mississippi river after winning a battle with Indians in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. -
Period: Feb 23, 1540 to Apr 20, 1542
Francisco Coronado
Searched for the Seven Golden Cities which he later found that they were just adobe pueblos (brick towns) but they did discover the Grand Canyon and other major physical landmarks of the region. -
Sep 19, 1542
Francisco de Orellana
He completed the first known navigation of the entire length of the Amazon River, which initially was named "Rio de Orellana."