Latin American History: Discovery and Conquest (1492-1572)
The age of discovery and conquest is one of the most fascinating periods in all of the history of Latin America. The discovery and subsequent conquest of the Americas was the single most important cultural encounter in history, a sequence of events that rocked the Old World as well as the New.
Latin America - Explorers and Discoverers
After Christopher Columbus blazed a trail to the New World in 1492, many others soon followed. The Americas were a fascinating, new place and the crowned heads of Europe eagerly sent explorers to look for new goods and trade routes. These intrepid explorers made many significant discoveries in the years and decades after Columbus' monumental journey.
1499: The Alonso de Hojeda Expedition to the New World
Christopher Columbus shook up the world in 1492 with his discovery of previously unknown land and people to the west of Europe. He was soon followed by other intrepid explorers looking for gold, pearls, trade routes and slaves. One such explorer was Alonso de Hojeda, who was accompanied on his legendary 1499 expedition by Amerigo Vespucci, who...
Amerigo Vespucci, Explorer and Navigator
Amerigo Vespucci was one of the most important explorers during the age of discovery. An able mariner, he made two trips to the New World and explored the coast of Brazil. It was his descriptions of the lands he found that caused a French cartographer to name them "America" in his honor.
La Navidad: First European Settlement in the Americas
On Columbus' first voyage, he was forced to leave behind 39 men at a settlement he named "La Navidad." One year later, he returned to find it burned to the ground, and all of the men massacred.
Antonio de Montesinos
On December 4, 1511, Dominican friar Antonio de Montesinos delivered a scathing sermon to the Spanish colonists on Hispaniola, criticizing them for enslaving the natives of the Caribbean. He was practically run out of town, but continued his work on behalf of better conditions for the natives until his death in 1545.
Biography of Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese navigator and captain who led the first expedition that successfully circled the globe.
The First New World Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492)
Christopher Columbus may have been looking for a new trade route to Asia when he set out in 1492, but he discovered something far more important. Columbus made several stops on his monumental first voyage, including the present-day Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola.
Where are the Remains of Christopher Columbus?
The city of Seville, Spain, has a set of bones they claim belong to Christopher Columbus, the great navigator and explorer. The city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, says the same thing. Which city has the real bones and why may we never know for sure?