Centuries before Columbus’s arrival in the New World, archaeologists have found evidence proving that Viking explorers had reached the North American territory now known as Newfoundland, as early as 1000 AD.

Trade with Asia was very profitable for Europeans, however it was also very dangerous. The early trade routes were fraught with danger of being robbed or succumbing to harsh environmental obstacles. As a result, there was much to be gained by finding a safer, more direct route.

The combination of better ships, better navigation techniques, and the possibilities for economic gain drew European rulers to the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries. The potential rewards of successful expeditions had, for the first time, proved to outweigh the risks.

Though Christopher Columbus was a Genoan, he was unable to receive support for his expedition to North America from his home country. Instead, Columbus turned to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his journeys to the New World.

Columbus's second voyage was a mission of colonization and exploration. He was given 17 ships and over 1,000 men. He also brought domesticated animals, including horses, pigs, and cattle. His orders were to expand the settlement on Hispaniola, convert natives to Christianity, and continue his search for Japan and China.

The Treaty of Tordesillas played a pivotal role in the future colonization of the New World. Following the discovery of the New World by Columbus, the Spanish and Portuguese were both eager to stake claims in the territory. The Treaty of Tordesillas was put in place to avoid potential disputes over land claims.

The Spanish did not need to have superior numbers to defeat the native cultures since they had significant advantages in technology and tactics. The inability of the native cultures to work together against the strength of the European weapons would inevitably be a key part of their collective downfall.

In 1497, Vasco da Gama journeyed around Africa’s treacherous Cape of Good Hope. He arrived safely in Calicut, India the following year becoming the first European to complete such a journey.

Balboa’s 1510 expedition through Panama resulted in Europe’s first realization that there was another ocean on the western side of the New World.

Ponce de León’s expedition was not successful, however it did lay the groundwork for the founding of St. Augustine, the first European military fort on the North American mainland.

Verrazzano was looking for a “Northwest Passage” through the Americas to get to Asia. Instead, he wound up travelling and mapping the North American coastline from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas.

Magellan underestimated the length of his journey and his crew suffered greatly because of his miscalculation. Less than 10% of Magellan’s men actually survived the famed trip around the world. Magellan himself was killed in a conflict with a tribe he and his men encountered in the Philippines.

Hernán Cortés and his forces decimated the Aztec Empire through a campaign of deception and ruthless aggression. The vast quantities of gold Cortés was able to plunder helped feed the frenzy to pursue similar riches in other parts of New Spain.

The Aztec leader Montezuma tried, in vain, to bargain with Cortés to save his culture’s capital. Cortés razed the city, claimed all of the Aztec territory for Spain, and built the Spanish colonial capital on the site.

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire, in what is now Peru. In 1532 he captured and killed the Incan emperor Atahualpa, and claimed the lands for Spain.

Encomiendas were plantation estates that were marked by cruel treatment and harsh working conditions for the Native Americans forced to labor within them.

Missions were set up primarily for their religious purposes, but they were sometimes used for additional functions involving agriculture, trade, and defense.

While Magellan’s crew successfully completed the first circumnavigation on record, Magellan died before the trip’s completion. Drake’s voyage was not only historic, but profitable; Drake returned to England with a trove of Spanish riches. Drake’s attacks on Spanish colonial cities made him a prime target of the Spanish who labeled him a pirate. In 1588, while serving as the vice admiral of the English fleet, Drake defeated the powerful Spanish Armada.

Spain’s primary interest in the New World was acquiring wealth and spreading their cultural reach. As a result, many of the native civilizations in Central and South America were plundered and subjected to immense cultural pressure to conform to tenets of the Roman Catholic faith.

The Native Americans who were forced to work for the Spanish colonies died off at alarming rates due to disease and poor treatment. To replace these workers, Spain began importing Africans to be used as slave laborers in the New World, thus beginning the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.