Conquistadors were the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who, from the late 15th century onward, crossed the Atlantic to explore and conquer the Americas for wealth and the Spanish Crown. Lacking a standard uniform, they dressed according to personal status and circumstance in the basic Spanish manner—leggings, pullover tunics, and cloaks, with wealthier men adding doublets or jerkins trimmed with silk or fur, all of which they continually adapted to scarce supply and harsh colonial climates. Their defense ranged from full steel plate harnesses weighing around 60 pounds to mixed solutions better suited to the New World: breast- and backplates, mail shirts, brigantines, and cotton or leather armor, crowned by the iconic morion—its high comb-shaped crown and upturned, pointed brims making it the most recognizable helmet of the Spanish conquest.

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