The Age of Discoveries

Essential Vocabulary

-Trade routes------Rutas comerciales-To improved------Mejorar-Caravel-------------Carabelas-To looking for-----Buscar-Routes--------------Rutas-To sail--------------Navegar-Sail------------------Velas-Unknown---------Desconocidos-Spacious----------Espacioso-Crew---------------Tripulación-Cannon-----------Cañón-To reach----------Alcanzar

-To realise------Darse cuenta-Sailor------------Marinero-Strait------------Estrecho-Valuable ------Valiosas-Spice-----------Especies-Overseas empire— Imperios en ultramar.-Discoveries---Descubrimientos-Diseases---Enfermedades

1 Why were the discoveries made?

At the begining of the 15th century. Europeans knew little more than Europe and the lands around the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.

The rest of the world was a total mistery.Europeans had not explored the African and Asian interior, and they did not know that America and Oceania existed.

1.1. Reasons for the discoveries

ActivitiesAnswer these questions

1 What countries did Europeans know of at the begining of 15th century?

2 How did they know of them?

3 Why did the Europeans launch maritime expeditions?

What were the new sea routes?

From the early 15th century, Portugal had been looking for a new sea route To India around the coast of Africa. The portuguese monarchs and Prince Henry the Navigator organised various expeditions.

-The Madeira-The Azores-Bartolome Dias roundedCape of Good Hope-Vasco de Gama reached India.

Spanish and Portuguese rivalry

The Crown of Castile was Portugal’s biggest rival in the search for new routes of India.The Castilians decided to sail to the west across the Atlantic, circumnavigating the Earth.This plan was very risky. Crossing the Atlantic was terrifying. It was a long way into unknown waters.

The Caravels The caravel existed for hundred of years,the caravel of the 15th and 16th centuries was faster and more spacious than its predeccessors

It had square sails for speed and triangular sails for manoueuvre.Caravels had a crew of less than thirty men.Without oarsmen, there was more space in the hold for cargo.Long voyages were possible . The ships also carried cannons to defendthemselves from pirates and enemy ships.

Activities1 Complete these sentences

1.1 In the early 15th century, Portugal wanted to find a new sea route to_________

1.2 After the Portuguese had discovered the Madeira Island and the Azores, they sailed round the________

1.3 The Portuguese were the first European people to reach the________

1.4 The Spaniards decided to sail towards the________

2 True or False Correct the false information

2.1 Carvels were first built in the 15th century2.2 They had a small crew 2.3 The caravels had oarsmen and square sails.2.4 The 15th and 16th century caravels could carry more cargo

Christopher Colombus

Was a Genoese sailor. He was convincedhe could reach the eastern coast of Asiaby crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He presented his project to the CatholicMonarchs who decided to finance theexpedition. On 3 August 1492, an expedition of ninetysailors and three ships, the Pinta, the Niña and the SantaMaria, left the port of Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva.

They saw land on12 October 1492. Columbus thought he had reached Cipango(Japan),but the land belonged to an unknown continent.

Columbus made three more expeditions to explore and established Castiliandominion of these territories. On the second voyage, a faster and safer route to America was found . On his two last voyages, Columbus explored part of the coast of Central and South America.

In 1502 an italian sailor, Americo Vespucci, had already realised that these landsbelonged to a new continent. Later, the continent was named America in his honour

Americo Vespucci

Activity

1 Answer the questions

a.Approximately how long was Colombus at sea during his first voyage?b.Where did he finally land?c.Where did he think he was?d.Where did he go on his next three voyages?e.What was their purpose?f.How did America get its name?

Magellan’s expedition

In 1519, an expedition of five boats and 250 sailors left Seville, captained by Ferdinand Magellan, with his second-In-command, Juan Sebatian Elcano. The goal was to find a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the Molucas, or SpiceIsland, in Asia.In 1520, they found a strait connecting both oceans. It was later named the Strait of Magellan.-They sailed on to the Philippines. There Magellan was killed in a fight with the natives, and Elcano took command. The expedition headed for the Molucas and loaded up with valuable spices. Then , they set sail for Seville.-After three years, only eighteen men and one ship, the Victoria, returned. These journey proved that the Earth was round.

What were the consequences of the discoveries

-Portugal and Spain created great overseas empires. to prevent problems between the two countries, unexplored regions were divided between them in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.

-These explorations marked the beginning of European supremacy over the rest of the world.

-The discoveries brought major progress in science. Many new plants and animals species were discovered.

-One of the most important consequences of the discoveries was the contact between different peoples.

-However, diseases introduced by the Europeans caused a dramatic decline in the Indigenous populations of America

Inca empire

The emperor was carried on a kind of platform.

Ruins of Machu Picchu

Ruins of Sacsahuaman

Aztec empire

Aztec empire

Aztec empire