15. Sebastián de Belalcázar
Sebastián de Belalcázar, born around 1490 in Córdoba, Spain, was a Spanish conquistador who played a pivotal role in the conquest of present-day Ecuador and Colombia. In 1534, he founded San Francisco de Quito, the first Spanish city in Ecuador, and in 1536, he established Santiago de Cali in Colombia. These foundations marked significant milestones in Spanish colonization, contrasting with the more militaristic approaches of other conquistadors by emphasizing settlement and urban development. (britannica.com)
