Reconquista and Columbus In your notebook

How Columbus “Discovered” America: 1.The Moors (Muslims who lived in Spain) Islam 2. Pepper (and other spices)

Moors decided to invade Spain. The Moors were of the Islamic or Muslim religion. w

King of the Moors

The Moors conquered Spain in 711

The Moors built Mosques

The Reconquista began

The Reconquista was an 800 year war, between the Spanish Christians and the Moors.

The Christian Spanish fought to free their country from its Muslim invaders.

After 800 years of war, the Spanish Christians finally defeated the Moors in the year 1492.

The Spanish soldiers had to look for new enemies to fight.

After 800 years of war, the Spanish needed something to do.

Spain and other countries in Europe, needed pepper to make the meat taste better

Problem, the pepper only grew well far away in the continent of Asia. Near China and India.

China India

Price of a box of pepper: China and India- $ 1 Spain and Europe- $ 60

Explorers could become very rich if they could find a way to get the pepper to Europe.

Problem: It took 3 years to get from Europe to Asia by land. Europe Asia 3 years

It took 1 year to get to Asia by ships, sailing around Africa

A man named Christopher Columbus had an idea. Get to Asia by sailing the opposite direction, west.

Since the world is round, Columbus thought his idea would work.

Columbus convinced the King and Queen of Spain to give him money for a trip around the world to Asia.

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue

Columbus took three ships: The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria

Columbus of course never made it to Asia. He ran into North and South America. At first he thought he had made it to India

Columbus thought he had found India, so he called the people he met “Indians”

Columbus never found the pepper and other spices…

However, his “discovery” of the Americas, meant more explorers from Spain would come to the “New World”

“New World” North and South America