thumb|right|Hernán Cortés led the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and expanded the Spanish Empire in the Americas]] thumb|right|Afonso de Albuquerque expanded the [[Portuguese Empire across the Indian Ocean]]
A conquistador was a Spanish or Portuguese military leader who conquered territories and peoples in the Americas, Asia, and other regions during the age of exploration, expanding European empires overseas. These conquests, such as Hernán Cortés's takeover of the Aztec Empire and Afonso de Albuquerque's expansion across the Indian Ocean, fundamentally reshaped global geography and had lasting consequences for indigenous populations and the development of European colonial power.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
thumb|right|Hernán Cortés led the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and expanded the Spanish Empire in the Americas]] thumb|right|Afonso de Albuquerque expanded the [[Portuguese Empire across the Indian Ocean]]
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who explored, traded with, and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania during the Age of Discovery. Sailing beyond the Iberian Peninsula, they established numerous colonies and trade routes, and brought much of the New World under the dominion of Spain and Portugal.
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