American Exploration In The 1500's

The Aztecs were introduced to Smallpox, Measles and Mumps right after they defeated the Spanish in the Night of Sorrows. The diseases had a massive effect on the population, and killed a quarter of the population within 3 years, including the Emperor Cuitláhuac, and many other important military leaders (The Fall of the Aztec Empire, 2006). A description by an Aztec shows the effects of the disease on the general population “There was indeed perishing; many indeed died of it No longer could they walk; they only lay in their abodes, in their beds… And when they bestirred themselves, much did they cry out. There was much perishing… Like a covering, covering-like, were the pustules. Indeed many people died of them…” (Bernadino, 1529). The source shows how the disease was killing the population, and how it weakened them as they died. The sight of these foreigners, immune to this disease, as everyone they knew died, would have had an immense psychological effect on bystanders. Another source states “He enslaved much of the native population, and many of the indigenous people were wiped out from European diseases such as smallpox” (Szalay, 2017). It shows us the treatment of the Aztecs after the collapse of the empire, and proves that disease affected the Aztecs, even after the Europeans conquered them. The constant disease and pestilence after the arrival of the Europeans led to the collapse and eventual extinction of the Aztec

epidemics to childhood ills." (6) It was in this form that diseases were carried to

In the article The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest by Miguel Leon-Portilla, he stated “A great many died from this plague and many others died of hunger. They could not get to search for food and everyone else was too sick to care for them, so they starved to death in their own beds.” The European explorers brought many diseases such as

The first major disease to find the New World was probably smallpox which broke out on Hispanola in 1518. As the Spaniards moved toward the mainland from the islands their diseases often proceeded them. One reason for this was a messenger bearing the news of the invasion to his people could carry the diseases as well as his message. With the arrival of Cortes in 1520 the smallpox virus was brought to Mexico and the Aztec nation. It has been thought that if the virus had not come when it did the Spanish invasion would not have been successful (Lunenfeld, 314). The Aztec leader of the assault against the Spanish invasion, as well as many of his followers, died after ordering the Spaniards out of Tenochtitlan. If the people would have continued with what they had started, they would not have been conquered for before August 21, 1521, the Spaniards were almost defeated. However in a siege that lasted seventy-five days the dead Aztecs from combat, starvation, and disease numbered into the 1000's (Crosby, 1972). The massive numbers of dead stunned the people so much that they were unable to react. The natives were not the only ones affected by the dead, however, for the

John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony: “Touching these savages, there is a thing I cannot omit to remark to you, it is that it appears visibly that God wishes that they yield their place to new peoples.” (Crosby, Alfred W.) The Age of Exploration, (and Exploitation) brought an era of racism, nationalism, and ideals of superiority to the New World. Initially a beneficial concept, promoting trade and discovery quickly took a turn for the worst following Columbus’ arrival to Hispañola. The arrival of Europeans brought the ideas of conquest and greed, rather than cultural diffusion and peace between the newly discovered Empires and the Old World. Conquistadors killed and ravaged everything in their path to find gold and glory, having no opinion of the natives, and leading to ideals showcased in the quotes of the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop. The Age of Exploration ultimately had a more negative impact on the New World because of the invasion of European plantlife, the spread of disease, and the development of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

On the other side he discovered a vast body of water that he named "South

The reason way European's countries led most of the explorations it was to clam new land for Spain and some more motives of the European's was food, and to trad. The mainly people how led the explorations are Jacques Cartier how,searching for a route to India. For King Francis I ,and Christopher Columbus how reached the Americas for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.Some of other things that Happened in the 1500,s is that The Mughal Empire rose in northern India in 1526 following the decline of the Delhi sultanate. When Europeans came into contact with Mughal India in the early 1500s, they found a civilization that was richer and more powerful than any they had known. India was the center of the world’s spice trade, but it was also known

The European Age of Exploration, a period from the early 15th century continuing into the 17th century, brought about expansion, technology, and nation building with explorer ships traveling the seas in a search for a new trading routes and new land. There was a multitude of motivations for the European nations want to fund explorers who desired to take on the challenges of exploration. Though the motives for exploration were different, in many ways they were the same. The rulers and leaders of the European nations had much the same main motivations driving the push for exploration. The driving motivations of European exploration were the acquiring of wealth, the want for glory, the search for new and ease of trade routes, the need of natural resources, and the spreading of religion.

The first European nation to begin actively looking for a sea route to Asia was Portugal. The Portuguese had already begun exploring Africa in the early 1400s, and in 1415 they invaded northern Africa and conquered the Muslim community. This gained the Portuguese access to the African trade, which, until that time, had been dominated by the Muslims. The Portuguese began exploring the western coast of Africa, hoping to find a route to the riches of Asia by going around the southern tip of the continent. Other nations, not wanting to be left behind, began sponsoring voyages of exploration as well.

The exploration period in Europe was a widespread idea that all countries agreed on, they all wanted to expand their countries and get richer than the others. The expansion was a very great thing for the countries that did it and benefitted them greatly and made them richer. The bad part of the explorations was that it harshly affected the native people by taking their land, spreading diseases, enslaving them, and forcefully converting them to christianity.

Caravels were approximately 65 feet long and weighed between 50 to 200 tons. Due to their speed, power, economy and agility, caravels were the preferred vessel for Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias. They were also used as commercial and fishing vessels. Caravels were an improvement on older ships because they were easier to navigate. However, one of the major drawbacks of Caravels was their limited capacity for cargo and crew.

The europeans used many technology to find, discover, and explore the americas. At the time sailing was mainly stay within sight of shore in fear of falling off the edge of the world. Being eaten by giant sea creatures was also a reason for staying close to shore. But with columbus's plan to sail straight out to sea using the sight of land wasn't an option. Sailors on that expedition needed the help of technology to stay on course and find where they were at.

Both were warlike, mercantile people, avaricious and quick to resort to force. The Aztecs even managed to defeat the Spaniards on what is now considered La Noche Triste, when three quarters of the twelve hundred Europeans in Mexico City died; this is considered the greatest indigenous victory in all the conquest wars to this day (Wright 1992:43). The one factor that the Aztecs did not have to their advantage was biology, specifically disease, and this would prove to be their downfall. Aztecs were vulnerable to the diseases the Spaniards brought over from the Old World as well as being particularly susceptible to a new strain of disease neither the Spaniards nor the Aztecs had seen before; Cocoliztli. Cocoliztli was Nahuatl for great pestilence (Acuna-Soto, Romero, Maguire 2000). Over the course of three centuries, these diseases continued to ravage the indigenous population, at the end of which only a small percentage remained. These diseases severely weakened the indigenous population’s ability to resist the ongoing Spanish influence and dominance and made it increasingly difficult to form the large groups of warriors that might more effectively have resisted the Spaniards. One has to count the spread of “new-to-the-Americas” disease as a major factor in the Spanish success. Perhaps the most striking quality of these epidemics was their selectivity for the indigenous population. Spanish priests and religious members worked in opening new

The Age of Exploration was one of the most influential time periods in European history. This period lasted from the 15th century and to the early 17th century. From explorers like Magellan to Columbus. The voyages they took had a great impact on society. Though the desire to simply explore the unknown and discover new knowledge is a typical human trait, the world's famous explorers often lacked the funding needed for a ship, supplies, and a crew to get underway on their journeys. As a result, many turned to their respective governments which had their own desires for the exploration of new areas.

During the period of time 1400-1499 great gains were made by the Europeans in their quest for knowledge of the world they lived in. In this time period the Europeans circum-navigated Africa, located the territories of the West Indies and basically redrew the map of the world. All these things had one thing in common; they were the result of extensive Atlantic maritime exploration. The reasons that European engaged in such aggressive exploration in 15th century can be attributed to several factors. These factors can be grouped into three major headings, technological and