CENTRAL  AMERICA

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subjugated  the  Aztecs  in  Mexico,  dispatched
his  officers  in  all  directions  to  explore  the  countries ­
  to  the  south.  Pedro  Alvaredo,  after  a
series  of  battles,  finally  established  Spanish
rule  over  San  Salvador  in  1525,  and  Guatemala ­
  in  1527  when  he  founded  the  City  of
Guatemala.  Spanish  Honduras  was  acquired
in  1526  by  means  of  conquest.
British  Honduras  was  originally  a  part  of
Guatemala,  the  Spanish  troops  stationed  there
having  conquered  it,  and  it  was  ceded  by  Spain
to  England  in  1760.
Panama  was  a  part  of  Colombia  and  was
discovered  by  Columbus  in  1502  who  minutely
explored  its  shore  in  search  of  an  expected
passage  to  the  Pacific.  In  1903  it  revolted
against  Colombia  and  became  an  independent
republic.
In  1821  the  five  Central  American  Spanish
Colonies,  after  many  unsuccessful  attempts  at
independence  formed  a  Federation,  known  as
the  Central  American  Federation.  This  independence, ­
  however,  was  short-lived,  for  Augustin ­
  Iturbide,  who  had  proclaimed  himself