Pedro de Alvarado

Not to be confused with Pedro Alvarado (miner).

Pedro de Alvarado
1906 portrait of Alvarado by Tomás Povedano
Bornc. 1485
Badajoz, Crown of Castile
Died4 July 1541 (aged 55 or 56)
Guadalajara, New Spain
Spouses
  • Francisca de la Cueva (m. 1527; died c. 1532)
​
(m. 1538)​
PartnerLuisa de Tlaxcala (1519–1535)
Children5 (3 with Luisa)
Signature

Pedro de Alvarado (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾo ðe alβaˈɾaðo]; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.[1] He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the conquest of the Aztec Empire led by Hernán Cortés. He is considered the conquistador of much of Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Nicaragua.[2]

During his life, Alvarado developed a reputation for greed and cruelty, and was accused of various crimes and abuses by natives and Spaniards alike.[3] In 1541, while attempting to quell a native revolt, Alvarado was accidentally crushed by a horse, dying a few days later.[3]

  1. ^ Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461.
  2. ^ Duncan, David Ewing, Hernando de Soto – A Savage Quest in the Americas – Book II: Consolidation, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1995
  3. ^ a b "Biography of Pedro de Alvarado, Conquistador". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 17 March 2024.