The age of exploration was one that flourished in new discoveries of new lands, and resources. Many countries had a lasting effect on this era of time. Perhaps the most influential was Spain. Spain was the beginning point for many famous explorers including Columbus, Pizzarro, and Cortes. All three greatly influenced the exploration age.
Of the three explorers, Columbus was the first to embark on his voyage. In 1492, the sea captain, Christopher Columbus, set off for Asia, to find the luxuries many talked of. The spices, silks, and other raw materials prompted Columbus to sail west and find an alternate trade route to Asia and its riches. However Columbus never reached his destination. Instead, he landed on one of the Caribbean lands. Since these lands were unheard of, Columbus assumed he had reached the East Indies when he reached land. Remarkably, he named the native people of the islands “los indios”, a term translating to “Indians”, a term mistakenly applied to all the peoples of the Americas. Columbus named the land San Salvador, or “Holy Savior” and claimed the land for Spain. In search of gold, he looked all over the Caribbean islands, however in early 1493, he returned home with not much wealth. Spain’s rulers agreed to finance three more trips. After the voyages, he had …show more content…
In 1532, Pizzaro marched a smaller fleet than Cortes’ into South America. There he met the Inca ruler named Atahualpa. The Spaniards crushed the Incan fleets and kidnapped their leader. Atahulapa offered the Spanish a ransom of one room filled with gold, and two more filled with silver for his own release. The Spanish greedily took the money, and strangled the leader after, making the conquering of their land and riches much easier, due to the retreat of the frightened and weakened Incan troops. Clearly, Pizzaro was an influential explorer during this age due to his great, yet gruesome,
Of the three explorers, Columbus was the first to embark on his voyage. In 1492, the sea captain, Christopher Columbus, set off for Asia, to find the luxuries many talked of. The spices, silks, and other raw materials prompted Columbus to sail west and find an alternate trade route to Asia and its riches. However Columbus never reached his destination. Instead, he landed on one of the Caribbean lands. Since these lands were unheard of, Columbus assumed he had reached the East Indies when he reached land. Remarkably, he named the native people of the islands “los indios”, a term translating to “Indians”, a term mistakenly applied to all the peoples of the Americas. Columbus named the land San Salvador, or “Holy Savior” and claimed the land for Spain. In search of gold, he looked all over the Caribbean islands, however in early 1493, he returned home with not much wealth. Spain’s rulers agreed to finance three more trips. After the voyages, he had …show more content…
In 1532, Pizzaro marched a smaller fleet than Cortes’ into South America. There he met the Inca ruler named Atahualpa. The Spaniards crushed the Incan fleets and kidnapped their leader. Atahulapa offered the Spanish a ransom of one room filled with gold, and two more filled with silver for his own release. The Spanish greedily took the money, and strangled the leader after, making the conquering of their land and riches much easier, due to the retreat of the frightened and weakened Incan troops. Clearly, Pizzaro was an influential explorer during this age due to his great, yet gruesome,