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personal copy of Marco Polo diary of 1299, published 1477

Ptolemy's Guide to Geography of 150 AD, published 1482

Why Columbus Significant?

1. maritime community of skilled navigators
   • Bristol fishermen, Cabot from Venice, Verranzano from Genoa
   • had knowledge of Plato's Antilia, Vikings, St. Brendan, Marco Polo, Ptolemy
   • made portulan charts, learned of Atlantic gyre
   • joined with Martin and Vincente Pinzon at Palos
2. Enterprise of the Indies
   • Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain, expelled Moors, Inquisition
   • Franciscan monks, banker Santangel
   • Papal line of demarcation - Tordesillas
   • 4 voyages made - also Ojeda, de Lepe, Cabral
3. printing press
   • Santangel letter published 1493, Peter Martyr
   • Vespucci, Waldseemuller, Mercator
4. Columbian Exchange
   • from Europe: sugar, pig, smallpox
   • from America: potato, tobacco, quinine
   • Slave trade begins
5. discovered pathway
   • Magellan, Urdaneta, Verranzano
6. colonization
   • La Navidad, Santo Domingo
   • Balboa to Panama, de Leon to Florida 1513
   • conquistadores and missionaries
   • Hernando de Soto to the Miss. R. 1541
   • Juan de Onate to New Mexico 1598
   • missions, encomiendas, ranchos