The Age of Exploration

What you’ll learn

• European exploration was driven by the desire for trade routes, wealth, and spreading Christianity (God, Gold, Glory).
• Advances in navigation technology (compass, astrolabe, caravel) made long ocean voyages possible.
• Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in 1492, beginning European contact with the New World.
• Spanish conquistadors conquered the Aztec and Inca empires, claiming vast territories.
• The Columbian Exchange transferred plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
• The Age of Exploration had devastating consequences for indigenous peoples through disease, warfare, and colonization.