alternatehistory.com

I was reading this page, and the maps that I see on there are somewhat shocking to me. I know that the Spanish managed to take down the native Aztecs and Inca in the early half of the 1500's, but how did they discover the coast and map it out so quickly? I'm also looking at these maps, and I'd like to know how the explorers did it so efficiently and seemingly so fast. As for settlement, I was also wondering how Cuba and New Spain were claimed and settled within only 20 years of Columbus' first voyage, as well as how Argentina, Peru, and Chile were settled within 100 years. It just seems so fast. :)
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