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Cueva, Beatriz de la

(Encyclopedia)Cueva, Beatriz de la bāätrēsˈ dā lä kwāˈvä [key], d. 1541, governor of Guatemala. After the death of her husband, Pedro de Alvarado, she maneuvered her own election and became the only woman ...

Chichicastenango

(Encyclopedia)Chichicastenango chēˌchēkästānängˈgō [key], town, SW Guatemala. In the heart of the highlands, Chichicastenango was a trading town in ancient times. It became the spiritual center of the Quich...

Ferdinand I, king of Aragón and Sicily

(Encyclopedia)Ferdinand I, 1379?–1416, king of Aragón and Sicily and count of Barcelona (1412–16), second son of John I of Castile; nephew and successor of Martin of Aragón. In 1406, Ferdinand became regent o...

Oraibi

(Encyclopedia)Oraibi ōrīˈbē [key], pueblo, N Ariz., on a mesa N of Winslow. It was built c.1150 and was discovered in 1540 by Pedro de Tovar, a lieutenant of Coronado. The mission of San Francisco, established ...

Ayolas, Juan de

(Encyclopedia)Ayolas, Juan de hwän dā äyōˈläs [key], d. 1537?, Spanish conquistador, explorer of the Río de la Plata country. He accompanied Pedro de Mendoza on his expedition of 1535–36. Sent to look for ...

Caupolicán

(Encyclopedia)Caupolicán kouˌpōlĭkänˈ [key], d. 1558, leader of the Araucanians who fiercely resisted the Spanish conquest of Chile. He attempted to carry on the reconquest begun by Lautaro and won a victory ...

Mascarene Islands

(Encyclopedia)CEE Mascarene Islands măskərēnˈ [key], in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar. They include Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez. Apparently known to the Arabs, they were rediscovered by the Portug...

Díaz del Castillo, Bernal

(Encyclopedia)Díaz del Castillo, Bernal bārnälˈ dēˈäth dĕl kästēˈlyō [key], c.1492–1581, Spanish conquistador and chronicler. He had served in the New World under various commanders—Pedro Arias de �...

Espíritu Santo

(Encyclopedia)Espíritu Santo ĕspēˈrēto͞o sänˈtō [key] or Santo, volcanic island, 1,485 sq mi (3,846 sq km), South Pacific, largest and westernmost island of Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides). Generally mount...

Fort Caroline

(Encyclopedia)Fort Caroline, settlement near the mouth of the St. Johns River, NE Fla.; est. 1564 by French Huguenots under René de Laudonnière. A Spanish force led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés attacked the fort...