Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras (Badajoz, c. 1495 - Guadalajara, Mexico, July 4, 1541), was one of the Spanish leaders in the discovery and conquest of America. He was known as one of the best soldiers among the Conquistadores, as well as one of the most cruel to the native populations. Badajoz (formerly Badajos), the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ... Events February 22 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the citys throne. ... Guadalajara is a large city in the Western-Pacific region of Mexico, located at 20. ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who achieved the Conquista (this Spanish term is generally accepted by historians), i. ...

Pedro de Alvarado

Alvarado went to Hispaniola in 1510. He held a command in the Juan de Grijalva expedition sent from Cuba against Yucatán in the spring of 1518, and returned in a few months, bearing reports of the wealth and splendour of Moctezuma II's empire. Download high resolution version (580x800, 95 KB)Pedro de Alvarado, artist unknown, almost certainly PD. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (580x800, 95 KB)Pedro de Alvarado, artist unknown, almost certainly PD. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 15th century map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying east of Cuba. ... Events Conquest of Pskov by Grand Prince Vasili III of Muscovy. ... Juan de Grijalva (born around 1489 in Cuéllar - January 21, 1527) was a Spanish conquistador. ... The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... Events A plague of tropical fire ants devastates crops on Hispaniola. ... Moctezuma II (also Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin) (1466–1520) was an Aztec ruler or huey tlatoani, c. ...

In February 1519 he accompanied, as chief lieutenant and second in command, Hernán Cortés in the expedition for the conquest of Mexico. Alvarado was being appointed to the command of one of the eleven vessels of the fleet. He acted as Cortés's principal officer, and on the first occupation of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán he was left in command of the forces at Tenochtitlan, when Hernán Cortés had to move against Pánfilo de Narváez. When the Spaniards had temporarily to retire before the Mexican uprising, Alvarado led the rear-guard (July 1, 1520 see La Noche Triste) and the Salto de Alvarado--a long leap with the use of his spear, by which he saved his life--became famous. Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ... Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) (who was known as Hernando or Fernando Cortés during his lifetime and signed all his letters Fernán Cortés) was the conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Plan of Tenochtitlan (Dr Atl) Mexico City statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan (pronounced ) or, alternatively, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was the capital of the Aztec empire, which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco in what is now central Mexico. ... Pánfilo de Narváez (1480? – 1528) was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ...

Sent out by Hernan Cortés with 120 horsemen, 300 footsoldiers and several hundred Cholula and Tlascala auxiliaries, he was engaged in the conquest of the highlands of Guatemala from 1523 to 1527. At first Alvarado allied himself with the Cakchiquiel nation in his conquest of their traditional rivals the Quiché nation, but his cruelties alienated the Cakchiquiel, and he needed several years to stamp out resistance in the region. Pedro de Alvarado led the first effort by Spanish forces to extend their dominion to the future El Salvador in June 1524. Spanish efforts were firmly resisted by the indigenous people known as the Pipil and their Mayan speaking neighbors. Led by a war leader tradition calls Atlacatl, the indigenous people defeated the Spaniards and forced them to withdraw to Guatemala. Two subsequent expeditions were required --the first in 1525, followed by a smaller group in 1528-- to bring the Pipil under Spanish control. Alvarado was subsequently appointed governor of Guatemala by Charles I of Spain and remain governor of Guatemala until his death. Events April - Battle of Villalar - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... For the city, see Guatemala City. ... The Kiche , or Quiché in Spanish spelling, are a Native American people, part of the Maya ethnic group. ... The Pipil are a loose confederation of Nawat (a Nahuatl dialect) speaking indigenous people, known for prehistoric migrations, that currently live in El Salvador. ... Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516_1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. ...

In 1534 Alvarado heard tales of the riches of Peru, headed south to the Andes and attempted to bring the province of Quito under his rule. When he arrived he found the land already held by Francisco Pizarro's lieutenant Sebastian de Belalcazar. The two forces of Conquistadors almost came to blows, but then Pizarro paid off Alvarado to leave. Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize Münster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Francisco Pizarro ( 1475–June 26, 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Inca Empire and founder of the city of Lima, the modern-day capital of Peru. ... Sebastián de Belalcázar was a Spanish conquistador. ...

During a visit to Spain, in 1537, Alvarado had the governorship of Honduras conferred upon him in addition to that of Guatemala for next 7 years. Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ...

Alvarado fought to suppress a major revolt by the Mixtón natives of the Nueva Galicia region of Mexico in 1541. After an unsuccessful assault on the fortified peak of Nochistlan, Alvarado was leading a retreat when he was crushed by a horse that lost its footing. He died a few days later, on July 4, 1541, and was buried in the church at Tiripetio (Michoacán). Four decades later, his daughter Leonor Alvarado Xicotencatl paid to transport his remains to Guatemala for reburial in the cathedral of the city of Santiago (now Antigua Guatemala). Nueva Galicia (New Galicia) was a region of New Spain. ... Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, on December 3 1531, hires Juan de Oñate to establish a village in Nochistlán, (now a town in Zacatecas México) the village would be named Guadalajara to honor Guzmán for having been born in Guadalajara. ... Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or La Antigua) is a city in the central mountains of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish New World Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruined churches. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia:Pedro de Alvarado

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