You also found out why some explorers set out for the New World. They wanted to spread Christianity. They also hoped to gain new lands and wealth for their countries. Finally, you read about the valuable cargo of New World plants that explorers brought back to Europe.

Table of Contents

What were the explorers searching for in the new world?

The Desire for New Trade Routes European explorers found the New World by mistake; they were not looking to find new continents but new sea routes. Europeans mainly wanted to find better trade routes to China, India, and Southeast Asia.

What are the 5 reasons for exploration?

Why did explorers come to the New World?

Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration and colonization in the New World: God, gold, and glory.

What was Coronado searching for?

Vázquez de Coronado had hoped to reach the Cities of Cíbola, often referred to now as the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. His expedition marked the first European sightings of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, among other landmarks.

What would explorers take with them?

What was one of the main goals for early explorers?

Explorers wanted to gain the fame that went with finding important new lands or important routes to known lands. The rulers who sent those explorers out to explore wanted the glory of having new lands that they could claim as their own.

Why was exploration so important?

Contributions to Science The Age of Exploration had a significant impact on geography. By traveling to different regions around the globe, explorers were able to learn more about areas such as Africa and the Americas and bring that knowledge back to Europe.

How and why did Europeans come to the New World?

European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. … Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620.

Who explored the Great Plains in the 1500s but was considered a failure because he failed to find gold?

In the eight years they spent in Texas, Cabeza de Vaca and his companions failed to discover any gold or claim any new territory for Spain.

Article first time published on

What was Desoto looking for?

Seeking greater glory and riches, de Soto embarked on a major expedition in 1538 to conquer Florida for the Spanish crown. He and his men traveled nearly 4,000 miles throughout the region that would become the southeastern United States in search of riches, fighting off Native American attacks along the way.

Who searched for cities of gold?

In the mid-1540s, the Spanish Viceroy sent an expedition of men hundreds of miles north led by conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Their job was to search for the seven cities rumored to be filled with endless amounts of gold, as reported by a Franciscan priest named Friar Marcos de Niza.

Where did the explorers think the Northwest Passage was?

Explorers believed that the Northwest Passage was generally located to the north of or in the northern parts of North America, yet the passage proved…

What was the major goal of European explorers during Age of Discovery?

The so-called Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which European ships were traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe.

What were the goals and consequences of Exploration?

The Spanish Empire between 1492 and 1892, expanded across most of Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and much of North America. In its conquest of the New World, the Spanish subdued and defeated the Inca civilization of Peru, the Aztecs of Central America, and the Maya civilization of the Yucatan.

Why do you want to be an explorer?

I believe the most important aspect of being an explorer is to share the knowledge you’ve learned on your journey of discovery with the world; share your love of life and purposeful experiences with the youth. This knowledge will emit positive energy and you will become a teacher; an educator of the world.

What technology did explorers use?

Astrolabe. The astrolabe was one of the most important navigation tools and was used by many European explorers, including Columbus and Magellan. It originated way back in the Roman Empire but remained important through the eighteenth century because it allowed sailors to do many things.

What did the European explorers bring to the New World?

The Europeans brought technologies, ideas, plants, and animals that were new to America and would transform peoples’ lives: guns, iron tools, and weapons; Christianity and Roman law; sugarcane and wheat; horses and cattle. They also carried diseases against which the Indian peoples had no defenses.

Why do you think European explorers called the Americas the New World quizlet?

The “New World” was considered any land across the Atlantic. This was the name that Europeans used to refer to the Americas. The period of time, beginning in the late 1400’s in which European explorers sought new routes to Asia and discovered the Americas.

What resulted from European explorers discover new lands during the Age of Discovery?

What resulted from European explorers discovering new lands during the Age of Discovery? New foods and resources were brought back to European markets. Many of the indigenous peoples of newly discovered lands were killed.

Why exploration changed the world for the better?

The Age of Exploration provided opportunities for societies and cultures to interact; it brought all parts of the world into contact with each other, paving the way for the globalised economies we see today; it enabled a knowledge network to extend across the whole globe.

What do explorers do?

Explorers are people who have blazed the trail in going to new places. The Age of Exploration took place between the 15th and 17th centuries. During this time many countries in Europe sent out explorers to discover new lands, find trade routes, seek treasure, and gain territory for their country.

What resources were Spanish explorers looking for when exploring?

Columbus’s discovery opened a floodgate of Spanish exploration. Inspired by tales of rivers of gold and timid, malleable native peoples, later Spanish explorers were relentless in their quest for land and gold. Spanish explorers with hopes of conquest in the New World were known as conquistadores.

What did Spanish explorers find in North America?

HERNANDO DE SOTO explored the southeast region of North America for Spain, searching for gold, a suitable site for a colony, and an overland route from Mexico to the Atlantic.

Who discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River?

It shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.

What is Hernando de Soto remembered?

Hernando de Soto is most famous for his exploration of North America. He led 600 men on a journey through what is now the southeastern United States. They were the first Europeans to explore most of this region. De Soto was sent by the King of Spain to explore and settle La Florida.

What was Hernando de Soto's impact?

De Soto’s journey had a significant impact on the Native Americans of North America. He and his men were the first contact the majority of these tribes living in the interior had with Europeans, and they brought more than violence with them.

What did Hernando Cortes discover?

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador, or conqueror, best remembered for conquering the Aztec empire in 1521 and claiming Mexico for Spain. He also helped colonize Cuba and became a governor of New Spain.

Do the seven cities of gold exist?

According to legend, the seven cities of gold could be found throughout the pueblos of the New Mexico Territory. Besides “Cibola”, names associated with similar lost cities of gold also include: El Dorado, Paititi, City of the Caesars, Lake Parime at Manoa, Antilia, and Quivira.

Why do you think Coronado had the Turk put to death?

Where did Coronado go after he met the Pawnee he called the Turk? Why? Why do you think Coronado hard the Turk put to death? He was angry, because he didn’t find treasure.

Who served as a guide on the search for the Seven cities?

Marcos de Niza was the first explorer to report the Seven Cities of Cibola, and his report launched the Coronado expedition. Marcos de Niza was a priest who was sent north from Mexico City by Viceroy Mendoza in 1538-39 to search for wealthy cities that were rumored to be somewhere north of the frontier of New Spain.