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The Spanish conquistador Hernan, or Hernando, Cortes is elected captain of the third expedition to the mainland from the colony of Cuba, just west of Hispaniola, an expedition which he partially funds.
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The Aztec city of Azcapotzalco is conquered, and later becomes a Mexican administrative borough.
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The greatest Aztec city, Tenochtitlan, is defeated and subsumed within the empire, ending Aztec, or Mexica, civilization. With that, the first phase of the Spanish conquest of the South American continent is completed and New Spain is effectively born.
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The Audiencia, a royal committee, is created to govern the newly conquered territories, 'relieving' Cortes of his new domain.
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The Spanish governor of New Castile (the recently-discovered Peru) conquers the Inca empire, opening up vast new territories in South America.
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In 1534, the new governor of Rio de la Plata is created to administer territories which are still overseen by Peru. The following year, with the Audiencia proving to be unwieldy, the king of Spain appoints the first viceroy to take command of New Spain.
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First Spanish viceroy of New Spain. (Viceroy of Peru 1550-1552.)
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There are two Zapotec uprisings against Spanish colonial authority on these two dates, and it takes considerable effort on the part of the new masters of Central America to restore control. The Catholic Encyclopaedia regards these uprisings as attempts to revert to paganism.
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Died in office.
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The governorship of Guatemala is raised to the position of captaincy general, in the hope that the region's greater level of autonomy will be able to halt increased pirate attacks.
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The region of Yucatan is promoted as a captaincy general in its own right.
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Don Lope is the first 'Criollo', or European born in the colonies, to become viceroy of New Spain. In this case, Don Lope had been born in Peru in 1575.
