4. 1492 The discovery of Americas by Spanish People 30th of January of 2014

30th of January of 2014

We have done the third day:

The Basis of the European expansion

The third day the teacher explained how had done the discovery of Americas, and what kind of way the explorers used to do that.

Like I have said, the explorers and after conquerors used two kind of knowledge to discover and conquest America, geographical knowledge and new inventions, like astrolabe and magnetic compass

-Geographical knowledge:

The sphericity of Earth is a kind of thing that nowadays we known, but at 15th century people didn't know that, but we can say, since Ancient Greece, some people think that.

  

The first step is in the Ancient Greece, more or less at 3rd or 2nd BC centuries, by a greek phylosopher, who found the sphericity of the earth.

But from 3rd AC to 15th AC the information dissapeard, so since the first step until the second spent 12 centuries.
At those centuries, two scientist, Eratosthenes and Ptolemy made two maps:
-The first map belonged to Eratosthenes, and this map didn't have really dimensions and only appear the lands Greek knew.
-The second map belonged to Ptolemy, and in this map only appear Europe, Asia and Africa.

At the Middle Age, in Europeans' minds was a mythical geographies lands, and in the medieval maps appear for instance: Antillia island, Sete Cidate islands, Atlantis, Brasilia(another island) and San Brandan or Borondon where was the gate to the paradise.

Antillia island,a map done by

                                   Bartolomeo Pareto, 1455                                    

San Borondon or Brandon island

                                       map, 1707.                                   

But at the Middle Age, some travelers arrived to America, more or less at 9th century, the island of Iceland was discovered and colonished by Irish monks. After that the Vikings created two stablishement in Greenland and it is probable, the same people discovered, Newfoundland or Labrador.

At the beginning of the 13th century the merchants from Italia, Portugal and Castille went to Africa to take ibory or some spieces, and Portuguese Crown and people, who finished the "Reconquest" went to Africa and put in the coast some stablishement; from 13th century to 15th century the Castilian people, not the Crown, conquest the Canary Islands.

-Advances in technology:

Besides maps or geographical knowledges, were some advances in tecnology which get the navigation and conquest of America, but two inventions were the most important: Astrolabe and Magnetic Compass:

-Astrolabe: It permited to know where you are in the globe
-Magnetic Compass: Was invented by the Chineese, but European people used to discovered America.
And although the chineese technology was better, they used to go to another lands or sites.
Besides these inventions, were more, for instance: lateen sail and Sken post.

                                                               

                                                                         Astrolabe

                                                                         Compass

These inventions used in the 14th century and 15th century ships and appear new ships: Nao, Galera and Caravel.

The last ship, astrolabe, compass and very good maps were used by Christopher Columbus to went to the West Coast of The Atlantic Ocean, in his opinion to Catay and Cipango, but he discovered a new land:
"AMERICA"

3. The History of Americas before the colonization by the Europeans 29th of January of 2014

29th of January of 2014

We have done for the second day:

The origin of American mankind or human kind.

At the second day, the teacher has given us information about the origin of American mankind or humankind, more or less the real origin of the natives. He has said that the origin is not a very known topic, but we know that ,when first Europeans arrived to Americas, they said that the people who lived there weren't human. Now, we can say that americans and african natives are in a similiary position like us.

After that, he has told us, that in a 15th and 16th centuries started the question, where they(natives) get inside in Americas. Add to that, in these centuries was known that all of human are descendant of Adam and Eve. To continue with this, Rome's Pope thought that, all of the natives had be able to became christian, because they have soul. And with that we can say that are human.

The second question, the teacher told us, that they(15th and 16th people) made is how and when arrived to Americas those humans. In these centuries, it said that the first human were from Egipt or Mesopotamia, because when the Judean people(Jewish) had to go to Mesopotamia, went more people than when they returned to Judea, and said that the rest people had thrown China, Persia, Siberia and at the end they arrived to Americas.

But then, the teacher told us, in 1598, Jose de Acosta wrote another book with another kind of ideas about this topic. He tried to answer three questions, that are where, how and when arrived to Americas, more or less like the others. But he didn't use mithology creatures, like eagle of Ganimedes or Pegaso. And he put another question, that was whom, how and when get inside animals like the wolf, that are so dangerous for the people. And he had gave some land where the animals came. The lands are: Europe, Artic Pole, Asia and Atlantic Ocean.

Furthermore Acosta said, that first of all natives arrived from not know place, but it possible was from Europe(Germanic sea, Bacallaos sea or Pole).

At 19th century appeard changes about this topic. First of all, christianity lost the hegemony, the scientifics thought that were 2 or 3 different species. So might be human kind from America are autochtonism and multiorigin is possible too.
And, at the end of the century, the scientifics thought that it was imposible multiorigin, and they put only a single origin, and American people origin was more probable that was allocthonism.

At 20th century, the allocthony idea was the most popular. But the questions was where? At appeard 2 schools: American School and European School, with different ideas.
The first one thought that the population was later than 10.000 B.C from Beringia. And the second one thought that the population was earlier than 15.000 B.C, from Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.

Beringia Land Bridge. Animated gif of its progress from 21.000 B.C to modern time.

Nowadays, at 21st century, is thought that the population was later than 10.000 B.C but from Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

2. Introduction to American History(Geographical knowledges) 28th of January of 2014

28th of January of 2014

We have done for the first day:

For the first day the teacher has given us, the information about the course: calendar, the work we have to do and he has shown us videos.And at the end of the class we had done an exercise, consisted to put some sites or places in the map and to know what they are: city,state,river,mountain,lake,viceroyalty and so on...

Maps:

1.States of Americas and theirs main cities

2. Map of Americas in the colonial age

3. Physical map of North America

4. Physical map of South America

1. Information to kown what are we doing in this course

Information to kown what are we doing in this course

                                                            Mapamundi, done by Ortelius. 1570

First of all, we should say that the course is intensive, since 28th of January until the 11th of March. And we are going to learn the history of America, since the first colonization by the European people, until the independence of the colonies.

In that blog we find the work that we are going to do every day, and questions with answers about some topics.