The Conquerors
Vasco de Gama 1498-reaches port of Calicut Amazed by spices, rare skills, and precious gems Filled their ships returned to Portugal 1499 Received a hero’s welcome Gave Portugal a direct sea route to India
Hernando Cortes 1519-lands on the shores of Mexico Leads 600 men to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capitol Aztec Emperor Montezuma II Convinced Cortes is a God agrees to share empire with Spaniards Spring 1520 Aztecs rebel Cortes conquers the Aztecs in 1521
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado 1540-leads exploration through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Found little gold Spanish monarchy sends mostly priests to explore and colonize the future United States
Henry Hudson Hudson was certainly an experienced seaman, commissioned by the Muscovy Company in 1607 to find a quick way from England to the "islands of spicery.“ He failed in that attempt, and again in each time foiled by ice floes as he attempted to find a fast northerly passage to "the east."
Magellan With 230 men and five ships sailed into the Pacific Went months without seeing land Eventually reaches the Philippines Becomes involved in a local war and Magellan was killed 18 crew members arrive back to Spain in 1552, becoming the first to circumnavigate the world
Pizzarro Conquers the Inca Empire in 1532 Crush the Incan force and kidnap Atahualpa (their ruler) Captures Cuzco (the Incan capitol) with no resistance