Us History

Makers of America:

- Conquistadores included Hernбn Cortes and Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Aztecs and the Incas respectively.

- Within half a century of Columbus’ “discovery” of America, they had claimed, for Spain, territory that stretched form Colorado to Argentina.

- They spread from Cuba through Mexico and from Panama, south through Peru.

- As the Spanish crown tightened its grip on its colonies, though, the conquistadors lost more and more power.

- Most of them never achieved their dreams of glory, though a few received royal titles.

- Many of them married Indian women, creating a new class of people called mestizos.

- The mestizos formed a bridge between Latin America’s Indian and European races.

Places and Countries:

Timbuktu- Capital of the West African kingdom of Mali, a place located in the Niger River Valley.

Madeira, the Canaries, Sгo Tomй, Pricipe-Areas where sugar plantations were established by Portugal then Spain where

African slaves were forced to work.

Potosн-A rich silver mine in Bolivia that enriched Spain with lots of wealth

Important People:

The Aztecs- native Americans who that lived in what is now Mexico and routinely offered their gods human sacrifices, these people were violent, yet built amazing pyramids and built a great civilization without having a wheel.

The Mound Builders-Indians of the Ohio River Valley.

The Mississippian settlement-At Cahokia, near present-day East St. Louis, Illionis, was home to about 40,000 people in at 1100 A.D.

Hiawatha-This was legendary leader who inspired the Iroquois, a powerful group of Native Americans in the northeaster woodlands of the U.S.

The Norse-These Vikings discovered America in about 1000 A.D., when they discovered modern-day Newfoundland. They abandoned it later due to bad conditions.

Marco Polo-Italian adventurer who supposedly sailed to the Far East (China) in 1295 and returned with stories and supplies of the Asian life there (silk, pearls, etc…)

Bartholomeu Dнas-A Portuguese sailor, he was the first to round the southernmost tip of Africa, a feat he did in 1488.

Vasco da Gama-In 1498, he reached India and returned home with a small but tantalizing cargo of jewels and spices.

Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile- The wedded king and queen of Spain, their marriage united the previously non-existing country.

Christopher Columbus-An Italian seafarer who persuaded Spain to give him three ships for which to sail west to look for a better route to India, he “discovered” America in 1492

Vasco Nuсez Balboa-Discoverer of the Pacific Ocean in 1513.

Ferdinand Magellan-In 1519, his crew began a voyage and eventually ended up becoming the first to circumnavigate the world, even though he died in the Philippines. The sole surviving ship returned to Europe in 1522.

Ponce de Leуn-In 1513 and 1521, this Spanish Explorer explored Florida, searching for gold (contrary to the myth of his seeking the “Fountain of Youth”).

Francisco Coronado-From 1540 to 1542, he explored the pueblos of Arizona and New Mexico, penetrating as far east as Kansas. He also discovered the Grand Canyon and enormous herds of bison.

Hernando de Soto-From 1539 to 1542, he explored Florida and crossed the Mississippi River. He brutally abused Indians and died of fever and battle wounds.

Francisco Pizarro-In 1532, he crushed the Incas of Peru and got lots of bounty.

Bartolomй de Las Casas-A Spanish missionary who was appalled by the method of encomienda, calling it “a moral pestilence invented by Satan.”

Hernбn Cortйs-Annihilator of the Aztec in 1519.

Malinche-A female Indian slave who knew Mayan and Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec.

Montezuma-The leader of the Aztecs at the time of Cortйs’ invasion who believed