Religious Unity, Great Expeditions, and Pre-Columbian America: A Historical Overview

Religious Unity

• They created the Inquisition in 1478, a religious court to prosecute those who did not follow Catholicism.
• They signed the Capitulaciones de Granada with King Boabdil in 1492, respecting the religion of the people of this kingdom.
• But in 1499, Cardinal Cisneros, advisor of the kings, forced the Muslims to convert or leave Spain. Those who converted were called moriscos.
• In 1492, they also forced Jews to convert or leave Spain.

Great Expeditions

• Reasons: It was necessary to find alternative routes to the Orient after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Portugal and Spain wanted to expand their territories. There were technical advances such as the compass and the astrolabe.

Portugal

• Prince Henry the Navigator promoted the explorations.
• Portugal discovered and conquered the Azores, Madeira, and Cabo Verde.
• Bartolomé Días reached the Cape of Good Hope.
• Vasco de Gama reached India.
• They founded cities in India and China, like Macao (that was part of Portugal until the year 1999).

Spain

• Cristobál Colón discovered America in 1492. He signed a treaty with the Catholic Monarchs called Capitulaciones de Santa Fe to support his project. He established the first European settlements in America.
• He made four voyages to America.
• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): The Spanish and the Portuguese signed the treaty of Tordesillas, which established an imaginary line 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde.
• First voyage around the world (1519-1522) by Magallanes and Elcano.

Pre-Columbian America: The Mayans

• They lived in the Yucatan Peninsula.
• They were organized in city-states.
• Their economy was based on corn, tomatoes, cocoa, and beans.
• They had a very advanced culture: they used the number zero, had knowledge of astronomy, and a complex calendar.

Aztecs

• They lived in Central Mexico. Their capital was Tenochtitlan.
• They had a great army.
• They had a society controlled by the nobility and priests, and they had slaves.
• Their economy was based on corn and trade.
• They believed in many gods and practiced human sacrifices.

The Incas

• It was a great empire in South America.
• The emperor was considered a living God. The population had to work certain days for the state (mita).
• Their economy was based on agriculture and livestock.
• Their religion was polytheistic.
• They had large stone cities, an advanced government, and an extensive network of roads.