These Spanish monarchs sponsored the voyages of Christpher Columbus.
Who are Ferdinand and Isabella?
100
To explore and conquer "New Spain" (the Americas) the Spanish turned to these "adventurers."
What are conquistadors?
100
First to discover the "New World."
Who is Columbus?
100
Before the voyages of Columbus, no one suspected the existence of this place.
What is "The New World" or the Americas.
100
When Columbus set sail from Spain he sailed west across this ocean.
What is the Atlantic?
200
Spain was in a race with this country to control the wealth of Asia.
What is Portugal?
200
Hernan Cortes and his band of "conquerors" set out to explore present-day Mexico in this year.
What is 1519?
200
First to "circumnavigate" (sail around) the Earth.
Who is (the crew of) Magellan.
200
Magellan's voyage showed that you could not only reach Asia by sailing west, but that you could also do this.
What is sail completely around the Earth?
200
These islands were the goal of both Columbus and Magellan. Sometimes called the Indies, today called the Moluccas, in the explorers time this is what they were called.
What is the Spice Islands?
300
When Columbus and his crews sighted land on October 12, 1492, they believed they had reached this place.
What is the Indies?
300
When Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec ruler was this man.
Who was Montezuma?
300
Conqueror of Mexico.
Who is Cortes?
300
Two ways Spain earned great wealth from its new settlements.
What is mining for precious metals and starting sugar plantations.
300
Magellan believed he could sail west to the Indies if he found this geographical feature through South America.
What is a strait, or channel?
400
Ferdinand Magellan began his voyage this many men and ships.
What is five ships and 250 men?
400
In 1520, Francisco Pizarro received permission from Spain to conquer this South American empire.
What is the Inca Empire?
400
Conqueror of the Incas.
Who is Pizarro?
400
Although there were perhaps 2 million Taino people living on the islands Columbus discovered, due to starvation, overwork, and disease, within 50 years only this many Taino were left alive.
What is fewer than 500?
400
Magellan thought he could cross the Pacific Ocean in a couple of weeks. It actually took him this long.
What is three months.
500
Three years after they had begaun, this number of Magellans' ships and men returned to Spain.
What is one ship and 18 sailors?
500
In conquering Montezuma in Mexico, and Atahualpa in South America, both Cortes and Pizarro used this "trick."
What is kidnapping.
500
Both Spanish and Portuguese explorers relied on this "key" figure in early Portuguese exploration to teach them to navigate on the oceans.
Who was Prince Henry "the Navigator"?
500
In the long run Spain brought so much gold and silver back from the Americas that it hurt the Spanish economy. The term for the condition of too much money compared to available goods in an economy.
What is inlation?
500
Although a small number of Magellan's men reached home, Magellan did not. He was killed by native people on these islands.