Exploring the New World

Having discovered the Americas explorers now needed to explore the new lands they had found. Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) crossed the Atlantic 4 times. His voyages opened up the new continent to European explorers and conquerors.

Vaco Nunez de Balboa (c,1475-1519) a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador (adventurer and conqueror) was the first European to reach the Pacific from the New World.

Juan Ponce de Leon (1474-1521) was a Spanish explorer, and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition of Florida and being the first governor of Puerto Rico.

Alvar Nunez Cabeza Vaca (c.1488- c.1560) a Spanish explorer. In 1540 became governor of Rio de Plata in Argentina.

Francisco Pizarro (c,1478- 1542) was a Spanish conquistador is best known for his expeditions on the conquest of Peru

Hernan Cortes (1485-1547)a Spanish conquistador,led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire ( Moctezuma 11 was their defeated leader) and brought large areas of Mexico under the rule of King of Castile.

Jacques Cartier (1491- 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf and shores of the St.Lawrence River which he named The country of the Canadas.

Hernando de Soto (1500- 1542) was a Spanish conquistador involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and Yucatan Peninsula. He also played an important role in Francisco Pizarro’s conquest on the Inca Empire in Peru.

Francisco Vazquez de Coronado (1510- 1554) a Spanish conquistador and explorer led an expedition from Mexico to Kansas. He had the first European sightings of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

Samuel de Champlain (1567- 1635) was a very talented and well travelled Frenchman. He made between 21-29 trips to Canada. In 1603 he began his exploring of N.America under the guidance of his uncle Francois Grave Du Pont. He created the first accurate coastal maps during his explorations and founded various colonial settlements. He is remembered as the Father of New France.

Rene -Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687) was a French explorer and fur trader. He is best known for canoing the lower Mississippi River from the mouth of the Illinois River to the Gulf of Mexico (9.4.1682)

Louis Jolliet (1645-1700+) -a French Canadian Explorer and Jacques Marquette (1637-1675) a French Jesuit missionary, were the first non-natives to explore and map the Upper Mississippi River.

Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761) a French Jesuit priest often considered the first historian of New France.

Captain Merriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark between 1803-6 *crossed the Continental Divide of the Americas before reaching the Pacific. *

John C. Fremont (1813-1890), aided by Christopher Houston Carson - Kit Carson (1809-1868), led 5 expeditions into the Western United States.

I mainly highlighted exploration.

Sources
Encyclopedia of Great Explorers - Parragon
Wikipedia