• In the late 1200s, there was an increasing demand for goods from Asia due to the Silk Road

• However, as products traveled along these trade routes, they became more expensive as merchants wanted to keep making profits as they passed the goods on to the next merchant

• At this point, there was a huge demand for Asian goods, but consumers wanted them to be cheaper

• Marco Polo’s travels to Asia and his stories about its riches, spread by the recently invented printing press, caused this demand to grow even further

• Portugal was the first European country to find a different route to Asia and ended up setting up ports across the African coast to transport Asian goods by ocean

• Spain, recently united and looking to increase its own riches, became jealous and sent out explorers to find a new way to Asia that they could claim as their own

• This led to Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of the Americas

• To prevent conflicts, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain and Portugal dividing up the New World land

  • Spain got the infinitely better end of the deal here!

  • Portugal got Brazil

• Conquistadores began to travel to the New World for God, glory, and gold

Notable Conquistadores

• Hernan Cortés: Conquered the Aztecs in Mexico

• Francisco Pizarro: Conquered the Incas in Peru

• Juan de Oñate: Poor treatment of Pueblo Native Americans around New Mexico led to the Pueblo Revolt

  • Pueblo Revolt: Also called Popé’s Rebellion, Pueblo people revolted against Spanish conquistadores mistreating them and attempting to Christianize them