Lesson 2: How Did Spanish Exploration Change the Lives of People in the Americas?

Key Idea

After 1492, people from the Eastern and Western Hemispheres began to trade new items. This great transfer of plants, animals, and ideas is called the Columbian Exchange. Europeans brought horses and wheat to the Americas. They took back corn and potatoes to Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The exchange also had terrible results. Europeans unknowingly carried diseases, like smallpox, that were deadly to Native Americans. These sicknesses killed millions of people who had no immunity to them.

Key Idea

Spanish soldiers known as conquistadors arrived in the Americas with a primary goal: to find gold and claim land for Spain. They targeted the powerful and wealthy Aztec and Inca empires, led by figures like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.

Though small in number, the Spanish had key advantages. They fought with steel weapons, guns, and horses, which were all new to the Americas. The conquistadors also formed alliances with native groups who were rivals of the ruling empires. These factors helped them conquer the vast Aztec and Inca lands.

Key Idea

After Columbus’s voyages, Spain heard rumors of great riches in the Americas. To claim this wealth, the Spanish sent explorers and soldiers called conquistadors. Their main mission was to find treasure, especially gold, for the Spanish kingdom.

This powerful desire for riches drove the conquistadors across the ocean. It fueled their exploration of new lands and their conquest of the people who lived there, including the Aztec and Inca empires.

Key Idea

After conquering empires in the south, Spanish explorers looked north for more treasure. They sent expeditions into lands that are now part of the United States, hoping to find cities of gold.

Conquistadors like Juan Ponce de León explored and named Florida.