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1506
Columbus arrives in the Bahamas
Columbus arrives in the Bahamas. Europeans are in the Americas to stay. Columbus eventually makes four voyages to the New World, but dies dejected and forgotten in Valladolid, Spain in 1506. -
1519
Magellan Circumnavigates Globe
Ferdinand Magellan's ships are the first to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan himself is killed by natives in the Pacific. -
1520
Cortes Conquers Aztecs
Cortés and his men conquer the entire Aztec Empire in what will later become Mexico. -
Jun 30, 1520
Night of Tears
La Noche Triste: The "Night of Tears" in which almost two thirds of Cortés' men—nearly 800 in total—are killed as they try to escape Tenochtitlan after the death of Moctezuma. -
Dec 12, 1531
Virgin of Guadalupe
Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, has an apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Before long, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe becomes the patron saint of the New World. -
Mar 12, 1542
Pizarro Invades Peru
Francisco Pizarro invades the Incan Empire and begins the conquest of Peru. -
Jul 27, 1545
Silver Was Discovered
Silver is discovered at Potosí in Bolivia. Spain begins to reap huge financial rewards from its New World colonies. -
1550
Native American Rights Debated
Bartolomé de Las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda debate the rights of Native Americans in the New World in Valladolid, Spain. -
Santa Fe Founded
Santa Fe, the capital of present-day New Mexico, is founded. -
Pueblo Indians Revolt
It takes 12 years of fighting for the Spanish to subdue the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. -
Spanish War of Independence
Madrid rises against Napoleon's occupying troops, beginning the Spanish War of Independence. Spanish colonies in South America use the opportunity to start agitating for independence themselves. -
Mexican Independence
Mexico is founded with a Republican Constitution. Spanish rule in North America comes to an end.