1. THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

• At the beginning of the XV century Europeans started to launch maritime expeditions: their goal was to get in touch with India, China and Japan in order to trade with them.

Wordl map of Ptolomeo XV century

2. Discovering new routes

Because of the price of the spices they wanted a new route that did not cross through the territories controlled by the Muslims,which at the same time, avoided a lot of intermediates.

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Another reason, was to avoid the Mediterranean route (controlled by Italians and Muslims) and the long crossing of the desert.

Konye Urgench, Turkmenistan 4.

The first to try maritime routes throught the Atlantic Ocean were the Portuguese. They created bases all along the African coast. Their goal was to sail past the Cape of Good Hope, and loop around the whole continent of Africa.

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Due to the Spanish/ Portuguese rivalry, Castille was forced to try another route.During that time, Cristopher Colombus appeared with a proposition for the kings of Aragon and Castille: to reach India and China by sailing to the West.

6. America was a terrible mistake

Yes, Colombus thought that he had arrived to India and China but it was not true, there was still a long way to those places. He had arrived to the New World, uncharted and unknown from which nobody had everspoken.

Autor: Jean Thodore de Bry (1528-1598) 7. New people and new civilizations

For the first time, Europeans were in touch with people that had bizarre customs that amazed Europeans. For instance: they encountered the Mayans, and learned about their astronomy and large pyramides.

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Spanish people met the Aztecs, and saw their city Tenochitlan, which was bigger than any European city during that time.

There, the Spaniards witnessed hundreds of human sacrifices.

AZTECS 9.

They also went to South America were they encountered the Incan Empire and their roads, depots and powerful civilization.

INCAS 10. Charting the world

During the XV and XVI century thanks to Portuguese and Spanish,a big part of the world was charted.

For the first time, it was proved that the world was round.

11. A tragedy for America

For the Americans their contact with Europeans was a disaster. The Europeans not only put and end to their culture, civilization and ways of life,but also provoked a massive number of deaths due to the introduction of new illnesses like the FLU that caused millions of deaths.

12. sincretism

The discovery of America was also an opportunity to join different ways of life, which has created a sincretism.This is something that you can still see in America. This cultural diversity is the trade mark of the America today.

CULTO AL DIOS Y AL DIABLO. Oruro