noun
- Spanish or Portuguese conquerors, especially those who conquered territories in the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Usage: plural form; singular is 'conquistador'; historical
Examples
- The conquistadores arrived in Mexico in the early 1500s seeking gold and territory.
- Hernán Cortés led a group of conquistadores against the Aztec Empire.
- The conquistadores established Spanish colonial rule across much of Central and South America.
- Many conquistadores were motivated by wealth, religious conversion, and personal glory.
- The arrival of the conquistadores had devastating effects on indigenous populations.
- Historians study the conquistadores to understand the age of European exploration and colonization.