Middle Ages
Tarascan Empire and the Great Aztec Defeat of 1478
Decisive Tarascan victory; the Aztec army was largely destroyed and the Aztec-Tarascan border remained fixed until the Spanish conquest.
Region
Americas
Middle Ages
Ahuitzotl and the Templo Mayor Rededication of 1487
The enlarged Templo Mayor was dedicated with massive ceremonies, and Ahuitzotl went on to extend the Aztec Empire to its greatest size.
Early Modern
Columbus's First Voyage (1492): Crossing the Atlantic
Columbus reached the Caribbean and returned to Spain, opening lasting contact between Europe and the Americas.
Early Modern
Inter Caetera (1493): The Papal Bull Dividing the Atlantic
Castile received papal sanction for lands west of a line 100 leagues beyond the Azores and Cape Verde Islands, prompting Portugal to negotiate the Treaty of Tordesillas.
Early Modern
Columbus's Second Voyage (1493–1496): La Isabela and Colonisation
Spain founded its first planned town in the Americas at La Isabela, imposed tribute on the Taíno of Hispaniola and began permanent colonisation.
Early Modern
John Cabot's 1497 Voyage to North America on the Matthew
Cabot reached and briefly landed on the North American coast, the first recorded European landing there since the Norse, giving England a basis for later claims.
Early Modern
Columbus's Third Voyage (1498–1500): Reaching South America
Columbus became the first European known to reach the South American mainland, but lost his governorship and was sent to Spain in chains in 1500.
Early Modern
Alonso de Ojeda's Voyage (1499): How Venezuela Got Its Name
The expedition charted much of the northern coast of South America and gave the name Venezuela to the Gulf and later to the country.
Early Modern
Amerigo Vespucci's Voyages (1499–1502) and the Name America
Vespucci's widely printed letters argued that the lands to the west were a new continent, and his name was given to the Americas in 1507.
Middle Ages
Llullaillaco Children: The Inca Capacocha Mummies
Three naturally frozen Inca children and their offerings were recovered in 1999, giving detailed evidence of the capacocha ritual.
Early Modern
Juan de la Cosa Map (1500): The Oldest Map Showing America
The earliest surviving map to depict the New World, combining Spanish, Portuguese and English discoveries up to 1500.
Early Modern
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón Reaches the Amazon Mouth (1500)
Pinzón became the first European known to reach the Amazon, but Spain did not follow up because the coast lay in Portugal's zone.