Conquest and the Columbian Exchange 1492–1600

Spain and Portugal conquer the Americas and Old World diseases devastate the population.

Map of the Americas in 1500, during the Conquest and the Columbian Exchange — Border map for 1500. See the world in 1500.

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Border maps in this era

Timeline

Year	Event	Where
1492	Columbus reaches the Americas	Guanahani (San Salvador)
1521	Fall of the Aztec Empire	Battle of Fall of Tenochtitlan
1532	Pizarro captures the Inca emperor	Battle of Cajamarca
1545	Silver is found at Potosí	Potosí

Battles and sites

← Postclassic: Aztecs and Inca The colonial era →

Notable people of the Conquest and the Columbian Exchange

Lived	Person
c. 1466 – 1520	Moctezuma II	Aztec emperor
c. 1502 – 1533	Atahualpa	Sapa Inca
c. 1574 – 1635	Samuel de Champlain	Explorer

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.