Between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century there was a decisive turn in world history, which was the arrival of European navigators to regions that had been unknown up to that time. Today historians focus on the “conquest” rather than the “discovery” of the New World because Europe had imposed its hegemony on those areas of the world.
Activity 1.A Complete the chart indicating which words can be attributed to Image A or Image B.
• new visible continental coastlines • round map • islands in Central America • India unidentifiable • undefined Africa • a single mass of land • water surrounds the entire earth • lands divided by oceans • India identifiable • rectangular map • well defined African continent • only one hemisphere
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Image A |
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Image B |
Activity 1.B Using the words given in Activity 1.A write a description comparing the two maps.
Sample: In image A I can see that the map is … while in image B I can see that the map is …
Activity 2.a Work in pairs and write three things you remember about the European monarchic states.
What do I remember about the European monarchic states?
Activity 2.b Work in pairs and write three things you know about the discovery voyages during the Modern Age.
What do I already know about the discovery voyages during the Modern Age?
Activity 2.c Work in pairs and write three things you want to know about the consequences of the discovery of the American Continent.
What do I want to know about the consequences of the discovery of the American Continent?
Activity 3.a Match the following words to their Italian translations.
Activity 3.b Listen to the first part of the recording and take notes in order to fill in the gaps in the chart below.
Geographical Knowledge
Geographical knowledge was rather (1.) …….....................……...…… The idea that the Earth was (2.) ……............……...…… had been accepted, but Africa was considered less vast (3.) ……............……...…… it actually is and its coasts weren’t (4.) ……...…….................................…… .
Africa
Africa was not (5.) ……...……..........................…… of primitive barbarism. To the (6.) ……...…................................…… of the Sahara Desert there were some populations who were mainly (7.) ……............……...…… and gatherers while other populations practised (8.) ........................................... and (9.) …….................……...… and made use of (10.) ……...................…...…, utensils and (11.) ……...............…..…… Starting from the 14th century complex state organizations, such as Mali and Songhai, developed. They had solid fiscal and (12.) …….........................…… .
Islamic World
The (13.) …….......……… world was experiencing a scientific, (14.) ……......…….… and cultural (15.) ……..........……., due to its control of the trading land and (16.) ……...……...........................…… that linked the Mediterranean Sea with (17.) ……...……...........................…… , the Indian Ocean and the (18.) ……..…….................................…… .
Spices
Spices were particularly requested in Europe. (19.) …….............…… was used in the (0.) …….........…...…… of meats; ginger, (21.) ……...........…..……, nutmeg, and cloves transformed the (22.) ……..........……..…… of food and were a status symbol as they were also necessary to prepare perfumes and (23.) ……...........…...…… .
Activity 3.c Match the following words to their Italian translations.
a. sostenne
b. attraversò
c. sbarcò
d. meglio conosciuto
e. ottenuto
f. raggiungere
g. navigato
h. guidata
l. intraprese
j. auspicabile
Activity 3.d Listen to the second part of the recording and take notes in order to complete the timeline below.
When Columbus came back from his first expedition he sent a letter to Luis de Santángel, the secretary of the Royal Treasury, to describe the inhabitants and the new lands that he had explored. Columbus had read reports by missionaries, travel literature and works of fiction. He had expected to meet cannibals and Amazons, and find goldfields, but in reality he met a few frightened natives who were attracted by objects of small value and were ready to accept the Christian religion. His point of view was that of a conqueror. In fact, he was sure that the natives could provide important resources such as precious goods and serve as a workforce for the Spanish monarchy.
Primary Source from The letter of Christopher Columbus to Luis de Santángel, 1493
They never refuse anything that is asked for. They even offer it themselves, and show so much love that they would give their very hearts. Whether it be anything of great or small value, with any trifle of whatever kind, they are satisfied.
They have no iron or steel, nor weapons, nor are they suited for them, because although they are well-made men of commanding stature, they appear extraordinarily timid.
They have no religion, nor idolatry, except that they all believe power and goodness to be in heaven. They firmly believed that I, with my ships and men, came from heaven, and with this idea I have been received everywhere, since they lost fear of me.
As for monsters, I have found not trace of them except at the point in the second isle as one enters the Indies, which is inhabited by a people considered in all the isles as most ferocious, who eat human flesh. They possess many canoes, with which they overrun all the isles of India, stealing and seizing all they can. They are not worse looking than the others, except that they wear their hair long like women, and use bows and arrows of the same cane, with a sharp stick at the end for want of iron, of which they have none. They are ferocious compared to these other races, who are extremely cowardly; but I only hear this from the others.
Activity 4.a Match the following words to their Italian translations.
a. invadere
b. idolatria
c. impadronendosi
d. fornire
e. codardi
f. canna
g. imponente
h. carne
i. adatti
j. paccottiglia
Activity 4.b Answer the following questions, after reading the text above.
1. Why did Columbus write a letter to Luis de Santángel?
2. What were the natives he met like?
3. What did the natives believe came from Heaven?
4. Why did the people of the Isles have a reputation for being ferocious?
When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador he only met a few, poor natives, but the continent that would be named America was inhabited by 80 million people. The aboriginal American Indian cultures, or pre-Columbian civilizations, evolved in Mesoamerica (part of Mexico and Central America) and in the Andean region (western South America) prior to Spanish explorations and conquests in the 16th century. The Maya, the Aztecs and the Inca had different social, political and economic organizations, but shared some characteristics. They practised sedentary village farming based on few products: corn, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, manioc and cacao trees. The presence of state organizations was visible in their impressive public works, such as monumental buildings for religious use and networks of roads and canals used to transport food and handicrafts.
The Maya were indigenous people who had continuously inhabited the lands from Mexico to southern Central America. Their political organization was based on city-states, metropolises of enormous size and influence. They were built around ceremonial centres and characterized by elaborate and highly decorated architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories, that were built without metal tools. The Maya developed astronomy, a calendrical system that calculated 365 days in a year, and hieroglyphic writing.
When the Europeans arrived to the American continent, the Maya civilization was in decline. From the beginning of the 14th century the Aztecs had settled in central Mexico, and had founded their capital city, Tenochtitlán, today called Mexico City. At its greatest extent the Aztec Empire covered most of northern Mesoamerica from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and included around 25 million inhabitants. The imperial title was hereditary and the society had a strict hierarchical structure. The sovereigns and the nobles had absolute supremacy in the communities that were formed by clans. In the Aztec social system the army played a dominant role. War was considered to be a religious duty and a way to obtain tributes and prisoners. These prisoners were frequently sacrificed to metaphorically “feed” the gods.
While the Maya and the Aztecs occupied large areas in the central part of the American continent, another civilization flourished in South America. The Inca Empire extended across western South America, down the Pacific coast and along the Andes. The state had a complex organization. A great number of governors administered the territory for the Emperor who was considered a demigod and controlled the army, religion and economic affairs. The entire society was founded on rural communities where self-sufficient farmers grew corn, potatoes and squash and bred llamas, alpacas and dogs. Taxes were paid through forced labour, which was needed to build temples and a roadway system that added up to approximately 15,000 miles.
Activity 4.D Select whether the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false ones.
1. Christopher Columbus landed in America which had few inhabitants.
2. The Maya, the Aztecs and the Inca shared the practice of sedentary village farming.
3. Food and handicrafts were transported thanks to a network of roads and canals.
4. City-states were characterized by palaces and observatories built using iron and steel.
5. The social system of the Aztecs was dominated by religion and war.
6. In the Aztec society power was distributed within the communities.
7. The Inca Emperor was considered to be a sort of god.
8. At its height, the Inca Empire included 15,000 miles of roads stretching from Mexico to Chile.
A 1 When Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean Islands in 1492 the main objective for the Spaniards was to try to find gold, but in spite of the cruel exploitation of the native populations, the result was not what they had hoped for.
B Atahuallpa was put to death by strangulation in August 1533.
C In 1519 Hernán Cortés left Cuba with only 500 soldiers and arrived in Tenochtitlán without meeting resistance. There he was cordially and respectfully received by Montezuma II, the ruler of the Aztec Empire of Mexico, who probably believed Cortés was the reincarnation of the god Quetzalcóatl. The Spaniards’ actions, on the contrary, were extremely aggressive. Montezuma was taken prisoner and later died during an internal uprising.
D As a consequence from 1517 they started to penetrate the mainland, taking advantage of their firearms. The protagonists of this new phase were the conquistadors who were soldiers that had a great desire for adventure but were mainly in search of wealth and power.
E Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro carried out an even more incredible action. They set sail from Panama with one ship, 180 men, and 37 horses, and headed for the Reign of Peru. In 1531 they met the Inca army and defeated it in spite of their inferiority in numbers. Atahuallpa was held hostage and failed to win his release even if he had fulfilled his promise to pay the Spaniards a large ransom in gold.
F The Aztecs eventually drove the Spaniards from Tenochtitlán, but Cortés returned to defeat the natives and took the city in 1521. The indigenous resistance ended and a new city called Mexico was built. The Reign of Spain founded the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
G Then Pizarro progressed toward Cuzco, the royal capital, and occupied it in November 1533. The Viceroyalty of Peru was founded and a new capital city called Lima was built in 1535.
Activity 4.F Referring to page 365 in your textbook, prepare a caption for the image using the following words:
Activity 4.G Complete the text below by inserting the words given.
• punishment • secondly • gods • deaths • diseases • resist
How was the collapse of the great pre-Columbian Empires possible? How could a few men defeat larger, well trained armies? Many factors have to be considered to explain these events.First of all the Aztecs and the Inca were internally divided and both were hated by the surrounding peoples that joined the Spaniards to fight their dominators. (1.) ……...……...…… the natives were terrorized by horses and firearms that were unfamiliar to them and which they could not (2.) ……...……...…… Moreover the pre-Columbian civilizations interpreted the arrival of the Spaniards in a religious way. They lived in constant fear of divine (3.) ……...……...…… and constantly expected catastrophes. As a consequence, when the Aztecs and the Inca met the Spaniards they did not think they were men but (4.) ……...……...…… who had arrived to punish them for their faults. Finally the Europeans spread contagious (5.) ……...……...…… that the natives could not ward off as they had no natural immunity against them and no idea of how to treat them. Smallpox, typhoid fever, measles and influenza caused millions of (6.) ……...……...…… One of the consequences was that the inhabitants of the Aztec Empire were reduced from 25 million to only one million in just 80 years.
Activity 4.H Combine part 1-5 to parts a-e to make complete sentences.
a. which were considered to be a form of divine punishment.
b. the Spaniards were not men but gods.
c. the contagious diseases spread by the Europeans.
d. to fight their dominators.
e. horses and firearms.
Activity 4.I General revision
1. What trade routes did the merchants follow at the end of the Middle Ages and what did they trade?
2. Describe the different voyages undertaken by Vasco de Gama and Christopher Columbus to reach India.
3. Explain how Christopher Columbus describes his encounters with the inhabitants of the new lands he discovered.
4. What were the three main Pre-Columbian civilizations and what characteristics did they have in common?
5. Why did the great Pre-Columbian Empires collapse? Explain some of the reasons.
CASE STUDY Group work
| Explorer | Years | Sponsor | Result |
| Bartholomew Diaz | 1487 | Portugal | Reaches Cape of Good Hope |
| Christopher Columbus | 1492-1493 | Spain | Discovers the islands of the Caribbean Sea |
| John Cabot | 1497-1498 | England | Reaches North America |
| Vasco de Gama | 1497-1498 | Portugal | First circumnavigation of Africa |
| Pedro Alvares Cabral | 1500 | Portugal | Claimed Brazil for Portugal |
| Amerigo Vespucci | 1499-1502 | Spain | Reaches and explores the coasts of Brazil |
| Ferdinand Magellan | 1519-1522 | Spain | First circumnavigation of the Earth |
| Giovanni da Verazzano | 1524 | France | Explores the Atlantic coast of North America |
b. Next they should do some research to find information about the voyages undertaken by their chosen explorer.
c. With the information found they should prepare a PowerPoint presentation which includes:
d. In the presentation each group should create a written page of the explorer’s travel log in which the wonders and hardships encountered during the journey are described.
e. For each presentation the class should be able to complete the case study chart with the information presented.
| Group n. ……...……...…… | |
| Explorer’s name | |
| Voyage period | |
| Started from
Arrived to |
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| Description of the voyage | |
| Description of the land discovered | |
| Description of the inhabitants | |
| Further information |
Storie. Il passato nel presente - volume 1
Dal 1000 al 1715