What is a conquistador? -- The discovery of the Americas -- Hernán Cortéz : conquering the Aztecs -- Vasco Núñez de Balboa : seeing the Pacific Ocean -- Francisco Pizarro : conquering the Inca -- Juan Ponce de León : claiming Florida for Spain -- Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo : up the coast of California -- Hernando de Soto : exploring the Southeastern United States -- Francisco Vásquez de Coronado : exploring the Southwest -- Bartolomé de Las Casas -- Legacy of the conquistadors -- Glossary.