Chapter 2

• In the 1400s, Italian and Arab merchants ran trade with Asia
• conquistadors- (conquerors) who explored the Americas & claimed them for Spain
• Hernando Cortes- a leading conquistador that brought the aztecs to ruin
• Bartholomeu Dias- reached southern tip of Africa and named it Cape of Good Hope
• Vasco de Gama- a Portuguese explorer who discovered the sea route to India.
• Christopher Columbus- a Portuguese explorer who discovered America in 1492.
• Queen authorized trip because she wanted a share of the Asian trade and wanted a chance to spread Christianity
• christopher Columbus' ships - the santa maria, the nina, the pinta
• la espanola -> hispaniola
• line of Demarcation- imaginary line around the world deciding who would control the lands that sailors were exploring
• Portugal- claimed all non christian lands to the east of the line
• Spain- claimed all non christian lands to the west of the line
• Europeans had 3 main goals- spread christianity, expand their empires, wanted riches
• Amerigo Vespucci- a italian explorer; america was named after him
• The Aztec & inca empire fell because: the Spanish weakened aztec and inca by making alliances with their empires, european diseases killed millions of native americans, the spanish acted brutally toward the native americans under their control * approx 20 million