Exploration to Independence

  • Period: 1800 BCE to 800

    The Maya

    The Maya civilization lived in the El Petén region of northern Guatemala. They built the cities called Tikal and Copán. They also made a very accurate calendar that was used by the Toltec and Aztec peoples. The Spanish conquered almost all of Maya by the 1550's. The Maya still exists today and is a very distinct culture.
  • Period: 1200 BCE to 600 BCE

    The Olmecs

    The Olmec civilization lived in the forests of Veracruz and Tabasco. They accomplished a lot. They built three big city centers called La Venta, San Lorenzo, and Laguna de Los Cerros. They also made a lot of very beautiful artwork. They did not encounter any other civilizations. The Olmec civilization disappeared and scholars believe it had to do with over population, environmental degradation, and constant warefare.
  • Pope Urban calls for Crusades in the Holy Land
    1095

    Pope Urban calls for Crusades in the Holy Land

    -Pope Urban called for the Holy War so he could re claim the holy land
  • Europe is a farming economy(feudalism)
    1200

    Europe is a farming economy(feudalism)

  • Period: 1200 to 1521

    The Aztec

    The Aztec arrived in Mexico City and found an island in Lake Texcoco where they built their city. They established a royal dynasty and used Chinampas which are rafts covered in dirt. They also were master builders and built many pyramids. They encountered the Spanish and mysteriously disappeared one hundred years later.
  • Marco Polo travels to the East
    1271

    Marco Polo travels to the East

  • Crusades end
    1289

    Crusades end

  • Polos journey home
    1293

    Polos journey home

  • Polo imprisoned and writes his book
    1298

    Polo imprisoned and writes his book

  • Period: 1300 to

    The Renaissance

    Rebirth in Europe
  • Period: 1400 to 1532

    The Inca

    The Inca civilization stretched from Peru to Bolivia and Equador. They created a complex government in their capital located in Cuzco. They also created a system of roadways that relay runners would run on to send messages. The Inca did not encounter any other civilizations. The Inca still exist today in Peru.
  • Portuguese captured the Fortress of Ceuta in Africa
    1415

    Portuguese captured the Fortress of Ceuta in Africa

    -Beginning of their dreams of controlling the global market of gold
  • Portugal discovered the Madeira Islands
    1419

    Portugal discovered the Madeira Islands

  • Portugal discovered the Azores Islands
    1427

    Portugal discovered the Azores Islands

  • Prince Henry's ships made a successful return voyage
    1434

    Prince Henry's ships made a successful return voyage

    -They made it around the Cape
  • Johann Gutenberg invented the Printing Press
    1440

    Johann Gutenberg invented the Printing Press

    -The printing press was the most important invention of the Renaissance
    -Printers didn't have to carve a block of wood for each page anymore
    -The printing press shared information and new scientific discoveries
  • Días made it to the Eastern Coast of South Africa
    1488

    Días made it to the Eastern Coast of South Africa

    Farther than any explorer had ever gone
  • Cortes invades the Aztec
    1519

    Cortes invades the Aztec

  • Pizarro Invades the Inca
    1529

    Pizarro Invades the Inca

  • The Inca fall under Pizarro
    1532

    The Inca fall under Pizarro

  • Thomas Hobbes writes The Leviathan

    Thomas Hobbes writes The Leviathan

    Thomas Hobbes had a pessimistic view of man. He believed that some men thought they were better than others and always want something and if they couldn't get it they get mad. He basically said we need a government to control us.
  • Thomas Locke writes The Second Treatise on Government

    Thomas Locke writes The Second Treatise on Government

    John Locke's beliefs contrasted Hobbes' beliefs and wrote about his beliefs or opinion. He believed that men were a product of god and the difference between humans and animals is that we can reason which allows us to choose. Locke's view of government and the purpose of government was that they didn't need a government because they had a reason. They could make their own decisions and didn't need a government to tell them what to do.
  • The United States declares Independence

    The United States declares Independence

    The war between Great Britain and France was very expensive and left both Great Britain and France in debt. To pay off their debt the British made American Colonists pay for the war through taxes. The Colonists thought that their rights were being ignored by the British and turned to Enlightenment. They called for a revolution and wrote the Declaration of Independence.
  • France writes the Declaration of the Rights of Man

    France writes the Declaration of the Rights of Man

    France forced the French to pay for all of their debt from the war just like the British. Thus began the French revolution. They used the Declaration of Independence as a model when drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
  • Haiti Gains Independence

  • Bolivar and his Soldiers Begin Venezuela’s Fight for Independence

  • Bolivar’s Gran Columbia Gains its Independence

  • Jose de San Martin frees Peru from Spain

  • Mexico Gains Independence