the.com/conquistador
a soldier who called robbery a mission and genocide a christening.
means a spanish or portuguese conqueror of the 15th-17th centuries who seized americas territory for crown and church, usually at gunpoint and cross-point.
from spanish for conqueror, from conquistar, to conquer, rooted in latin conquirere, to seek out or procure — the same word that later got repurposed for corporate 'we conquered the market' branding.
legal cover storythe requerimiento, a document read in spanish natives couldnt understand
real weaponsmallpox killed more than swords ever did
funding modelmost were self-financed treasure hunters, not paid soldiers
for instance
hernan cortes — toppled the aztec empire with 500 men in 1521
francisco pizarro — captured the inca emperor atahualpa in 1532
juan ponce de leon — claimed florida in 1513, never found the fountain
hernando de soto — trekked the american southeast, died searching for gold in 1542