The Spanish America:
➔ Conquest of Mexico:
In 1518 Hernán Cortés set sail from Cuba to explore the Gulf of Mexico. Once there, he learnt about the Aztec Empire and established some partnerships with some of the people who were governed by the Aztecs.
Moctezuma, the leader of the Aztec Empire, welcomed Hernán Cortés in Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire. After some battles, Cortés occupied Tenochtitlán and ordered its destruction. In the years that followed, the rest of Mexico was conquered.
➔ Conquest of Peru:
Francisco Pizarro was in charge of the conquest of the Inca Empire. Like Cortés he used the hostility of some of its inhabitants to their Inca leaders. In 1532, Pizarro and his men arrived in Cajamarca, where they captured the Inca emperor, Atahualpa, and imprisoned him. Atahualpa paid a huge ransom in gold but was finally executed. One year later, Pizarro and his men occupied Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.
➔ Organisation of the new empire:
The conquested territories belonged to the Crown of Catile.Therefore, Castilian laws and institutions were introduced to America. Charles I created a new council to help him govern the new territories: The "Council of the Indies"
At first the new territories were divided into two big viceroyalties: New Spain, in Mexico, and Peru.
During the 16th century a number of "Audiencias" were established to administer justice across a wide area.

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