The conquest of the Americas refers to Spain's military campaigns and colonization efforts in the 15th and 16th centuries, resulting in the subjugation and control of Native American civilizations.
Related terms
Colonization: The process by which a foreign power establishes control over a territory or group of people outside its own borders.
Encomienda System: A labor system implemented by the Spanish colonial authorities that granted landowners rights to use indigenous peoples as laborers.
Columbian Exchange: The widespread exchange of goods, ideas, plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between Europe and the Americas following Columbus' voyages.