As you mention Spain was already an Empire in 1500, even though it had still not fully conquered America and no gold had arrived to Seville yet. I believe their strenghts were:
1. A fabulous state (for that time standards and even for any standard). Spain was in the year 1500 the only state (UK and France were still to be formed, Italy and Germany wouldn't form until the XIX century) in Europe, together with Portugal. And it worked well, it had a proper justice, trasury, foreign affairs and army
2. Its new army, the "tercios". Spain invented modern warfare in which infantry is the king. Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba "El gran Capitan" won hundreds of batles using the infantry as the cornerstone of its army. The Spanish army won the French in the battles of Ceriñola and Garellano in Italy. Both battles were small compared to modern standards but had a major impact in modern warfare (see the description of the Gran Capitan done by Montgomery during WWII). Those tercios were going to be the equivalente to the US marines for the XVI and XVII centuries, winning almost all battles
3. Its "Armada". The Spaniards had, before anyone, the technology to build incredibly efficient ships. Actually, until well into the beginning of the XVIII century they were the only one to have "maps" of the winds all around the globe. The Pacific Ocean was named like that by a Spaniard, and the Pacific ocean was called the "Spanish lake" for more than 200 years. Think that the Spaniards circumnavigated the world in 1520 while most European countries at that time didnt even know how to sail. They conquered from Mexico to Philippines in less than 20 years.
4. Its people. Unlike other countries, Spain conquered its empire through private initiative. The empire was done by the Spanish people, not by the nobles or the king that were more focused on Europe (Holland, England, France etc). Those guys conquered a whole world with very limited resources but with incredible courage.
The Spanish, led by Francisco Pizarro, conquered the Inca in the early 1500's.
The Spanish invaders.
in the early 1500,s.
Spanish explores
In the early 1500's or 1512
Both Spanish (1521-1821) and French (1864-1867).
North & South America
The Incan empire fell in 1533.
Peru was ruled by Francisco Pizarro in the mid-1500's, so it was the spanish. Peru was ruled by Francisco Pizarro in the mid-1500's, so it was the spanish.
North & South America
The Spanish Empire conquered Mexico in 1521.
destruction of the aztec empire by conquistadors > NOVANET BILLZFOURSEVEN