The Age of Exploration started during the Renaissances. People wanted to explore more of the world. During this period, there were several advances ins navigation. Cartography got better. Sailors used compasses and astrolabes. Two new ships, the caravel and the galleon, were invented.
 A caravel |  A galleon |
The Explorers
The main goal of the Age of Exploration was to find a short route to get to Asia. The Portuguese believed that this route could be obtained by sailing around the tip of Africa to get to Asia. Spain believed that they could sail across the Atlantic to get to Asia.
Vasco da Gama was the first person to sail to Asia by going around the tip of Africa. He sailed past the Cape of Good Hope, reached Asia, and got back to Europe.
Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain and discovered the Americas. He landed off the Bahamas but believed that he had arrived at the "Indies" in Asia.
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian navigator that traveled to the Americas. He realized that the Americas was not actually Asia, but new lands that they had not discovered yet. America was later named after him.
Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first people to circumnavigate the world. He discovered the Strait of Magellan but later died in a fight with Filipino natives.
Conquest of the Americas
The Spanish soon began to colonize the Americas. In order to do so, they had to defeat the native people there, including the Aztecs and Incas.
Hernan Cortes gathered up Aztec enemies and led them in an attack on the Aztecs. At first, Moctezuma, the Aztec leader, treated Cortes honorably like a guest. However, they soon took Moctezuma prisoner and Moctezuma was killed, causing disorganization among the Aztecs. Cortes soon took Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztecs.
Francisco Pizarro went to conquer the Incas. The nation had just had a civil war and was weak. The new leader, Atahualpa was trying to bring everything back into order. Pizarro kidnapped Atahualpa and killed him. Afterwards, he easily took over the Inca empire.
 Hernan Cortes |  Francisco Pizarro |
The Columbian Exchange
During the Age of Exploration, many things were passed between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. This exchange was known as the Columbian Exchange. Many plants and crops were passed between the two sides of the planet. Different cultures and people were exchanged as well. Many animals traveled across the Atlantic. Religion, ideas, and diseases were also passed back and forth.
New Economic Ideas
New economic systems arose after the voyages of discovery. Capitalism was a very popular type of economy. It is based on the private ownership of property and the use of property to gain profits. Supply and demand and the idea of a free market were important in this economy. A free market is a market where sellers competed with other competitors and tried to gain the biggest profit. America is a capitalist country.
Another economic idea was mercantilism. Mercantilism promotes building up a nation's wealth through trade. Mercantilists believe that more goods must be exported than imported, therefore increasing its wealth.
