Once the mighty Mexica fell, Conquistadores—essentially military entrepreneurs under license from the Spanish crown—sought Un Otro Mexico or “Another Mexico.” Some went south, to conquer the Incas. Others pressed into central America and deeper into present-day Mexico. Some went north, seeking the rumored empire of the Appalachee—the remnants of the great Mississippian Culture.
All had to apply for permission from the crown to pursue these entradas, or “entries” into unexplored lands.