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Exploration and Conquest of the Americas

May 30, 2025

2.1 Portuguese Exploration and Spanish Conquest

Introduction

  • Portuguese exploration and Spanish conquest were pivotal in the development of the Atlantic World.
  • These explorations led to significant European expansion and the beginning of globalization.

Portuguese Exploration

Key Figures

  • Prince Henry the Navigator: spearheaded Portugal's exploration of Africa and the Atlantic.

Achievements

  • Established a trade empire with footholds in Africa, India, and Brazil.
  • Colonized Atlantic islands: Canary, Cape Verde, Azores, and Madeira.
  • Controlled key nautical trade routes with strategic holdings of islands and ports.

Impacts

  • Introduced European interest in the African slave trade.
  • Established sugar plantations on Atlantic islands using enslaved Africans.

Important Sites

  • Elmina Castle: A trading post in Ghana, used later as a holding pen for enslaved Africans.

Spanish Exploration and Conquest

Key Figures

  • Christopher Columbus: Sponsored by Spain to find a westward route to India.
  • Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro: Notable conquistadors.

Historical Context

  • Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain and completed the Reconquista in 1492, expanding Catholicism and seeking commercial advantage over Portugal.

Achievements

  • Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492.
  • Established first European settlements in the Caribbean, Central, and South America.

Treaty of Tordesillas

  • Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands.

The Conquests

  • Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire with help from native allies and diseases like smallpox.
  • Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire, founded Lima, and fought off both natives and Spanish rivals.

Cultural and Political Impacts

  • Spanish exploration led to immense wealth from gold and silver.
  • Contributed to the Spanish Golden Age, funding the flourishing of Spanish arts and literature.
  • Prominent figures: Miguel de Cervantes, Diego Velázquez, and El Greco.

Spanish Golden Age

  • Marked by a flourishing of art and literature funded by New World riches.
  • Notable works: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
  • Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, reflecting Spain’s cultural vibrance.

Conclusion

  • Portuguese and Spanish explorations were central to the development of the modern world.
  • Established patterns of colonization and exploitation that would shape global history.