1. European Explorers

2. Christopher Columbus  1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.  Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria.  Searched for an alternate route to Asia.  Discovered San Salvador, Caribbean.  Claimed the land for Spain.

3. Pedro Alvares Cabral  Sailed for Portugal.  Reached the shores of modern-day Brazil.  Claimed the land for his country.

4. Amerigo Vespucci  Italian who sailed for Portugal.  Traveled to eastern coast of South America.  Claimed the land was not part of Asia, but a “new” world.  Hence- America

5. Ferdinand Magellan  Portuguese explorer.  Took 250 men and 5 ships  Sailed around the southern tip of South America into the Pacific.  Explored Guam, Philippines  Magellan died in a local war  18 men and 1 ship arrived in Spain.  First to sail around the world

6. Hernando Cortes  Spanish Explorer  Shores of Mexico.  Followed by Conquistadors  Interested in wealth of Aztecs. Befriended Montezuma  Conquered Aztes. 1. Advanced weaponry 2. Aid for rival natives 3. Disease.

7. Francisco Pizarro  Conquistador  Founded Lima, Peru  Ambushed and crushed the Incans

8. Juan Ponce de Leon  Spanish Explorer.  Landed on coast of Modern-day Florida  Claimed the land for Spain

9. Fransisco Vasquez de Coronado  Spanish Explorer  Explored present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.