1541day.year
Pedro de Alvarado
(1495 - 1541)
Spanish general and explorer
Spanish general and explorer
Spanish conquistador and governor known for his campaigns in Mexico and Central America.
Born in 1495 in Spain, Pedro de Alvarado joined Hernán Cortés's expedition to Mexico in 1519.
He played a key role in the fall of the Aztec Empire and led the conquest of Guatemala in the early 1520s.
Appointed governor of Guatemala, he established colonial settlements and the encomienda system.
His harsh treatment of indigenous peoples earned him a fearsome reputation among native communities.
In 1541, while preparing an expedition to Nicaragua, he died from injuries sustained in a horse-riding accident.
Pedro de Alvarado's exploits remain both celebrated and criticized as emblematic of the Spanish conquest era.
1541
Pedro de Alvarado