Explorers | Reasons to Explore | Problems | Results & Area Explored |
Columbus | search for a route going West to reach Asia & promises the king and queen of Spain that he will bring back wealth, claim land and spread Christianity to the people he meets | sailors became scared at sea, fight storms and hunger, finds a new continent instead of a route to Asia | lands on San Salvador believing he has landed in Asia, discovers a new continent, calls the natives Indians because he believes he is in India |
Vespucci | wanted to prove that Columbus reached a new continent | sailors became scared at sea, fight storms and hunter, finds a new continent instead of a route to Asia | sails along the coast of South America, concluded that Columbus had reached a new continent, America's are named after him |
Balboa | explored the area of Panama | sailors became scared at sea, fight storms and hunger, finds a new continent instead of a route to Asia | discovers the Pacific Ocean proved Vespucci right Columbus had not reached Asia |
Magellan | search for a route to Asia | fought storms, ships and crews were lost, sailors died of hunger, diseases and scurvy, Magellan is killed in a battle | sailed through the strait of Magellan across the Pacific Ocean and around the world, 1st to sail around the world |
Cortes | search for gold | battles with Indians | conquers the Aztec civilization, claims eastern and central Mexico and California |
Pizarro | search for gold in South America | battles with Indians | conquers the Inca civilization, claims western coast of South America |
De Leon | looking for the Fountain of Youth | killed by the Calusa Indians, never finds the Fountain of Youth | explored and conquered what is today Puerto Rico, 1st Spaniard to set foot in what is today the United States, names Florida and claims are for Spain |
Coronado | searching for Seven Cities of Gold | battles with the Indians, never finds the Cities of Gold | claims southwestern North America for Spain, travels through present day states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas |
De Soto | searching for gold | killed many of the Indians they met, men deserted him, found no gold, dies and is buried in the Mississippi River | explored Southeastern North America and the Mississippi River, first European to see the Mississippi River |