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The Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire.
This marks the end of the Middle Ages and pushes Europeans to search for new trade routes, eventually leading to voyages to the Americas. -
The Catholic Monarchs conquered Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain became unified and gained the resources to finance Columbus’s expedition. -
Christopher Columbus reached the Americas (Caribbean islands), believing he had arrived in Asia.
This begins European contact and expansion in the continent. -
Spain began formal colonization: settlements, territorial control, resource extraction, and evangelization.
This was the foundation of Spanish rule in much of the Americas. -
Hernán Cortés and Indigenous allies defeated the Mexica and captured Tenochtitlan.
This led to the establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. -
Francisco Pizarro launched early expeditions into Inca territory, mixing diplomacy and military pressure.
This set up the final conquest. -
Atahualpa was captured and executed, and the Spanish took Cuzco.
The Viceroyalty of Peru emerged, becoming a major economic center of the Spanish Empire. -
A colonial labor system in which Spaniards received control over groups of Indigenous people in exchange for “protection” and Christian instruction.
In reality, it became a system of exploitation. -
The first permanent English settlement in North America, located in Virginia.
It marks the beginning of the English colonies that later formed the United States. -
The Pilgrims arrived in present-day Massachusetts and signed the Mayflower Compact, an early form of self-government.
It became an important symbol in U.S. political tradition. -
Indigenous Pueblo peoples in present-day New Mexico, led by Popé, expelled the Spanish for 12 years.
It is one of the most successful Indigenous uprisings against European rule.
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