Which one of the following European explorer conquered Mexico?
- (a)Vasco da Gama
- (b)Bartholomew Diaz
- (c)Magellan
- (d)Hernan Cortes
Correct — D, Hernan Cortes. The Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes led the expedition that overthrew the Aztec Empire and captured its capital Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) in 1519–1521, bringing Mexico under Spanish control.
- (a)Vasco da Gama — He was the Portuguese navigator who found the sea route to India (Calicut, 1498) — he never went to Mexico.
- (b)Bartholomew Diaz — The Portuguese explorer who first rounded the Cape of Good Hope (1488); he explored the African coast, not the Americas.
- (c)Magellan — Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe; he sailed the Pacific, not the conquest of Mexico.
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521) was led by the conquistador Hernan Cortes, who allied with local peoples resentful of Aztec rule and, aided by steel weapons, horses and smallpox, defeated the Aztecs under Moctezuma II and Cuauhtemoc.
The trick is to separate the Age-of-Discovery navigators (da Gama, Diaz, Magellan) from the conquistadors who conquered American empires. Mexico = Aztecs = Cortes (as Peru = Incas = Pizarro).
- Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire of Mexico, 1519–1521.
- Its capital Tenochtitlan stood where Mexico City is today.
- Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire of Peru.
- Vasco da Gama reached India by sea in 1498; Diaz rounded the Cape in 1488; Magellan's crew first circumnavigated the globe.
- Confusing the sea-route navigators (da Gama, Diaz, Magellan) with the American conquistadors.
- Mixing up Cortes (Mexico/Aztecs) and Pizarro (Peru/Incas).
Asked as who conquered Mexico/the Aztecs, or as matching explorers to their achievements.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who conquered the Inca Empire of Peru?
- (a)Hernan Cortes
- (b)Francisco Pizarro
- (c)Christopher Columbus
- (d)Amerigo Vespucci
Answer(b) Francisco Pizarro.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Vasco da Gama is famous for
- (a)conquering Mexico
- (b)reaching India by sea in 1498
- (c)circumnavigating the globe
- (d)rounding the Cape of Good Hope
Answer(b) reaching India by sea in 1498.