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1507: America the Unknown:
This globe, a replica of a globe made by the German Martin Waldseemuller, is the first known to have included the name "America." Notice the shape of North America here. It indicates how little Europeans knew about the continent at that time.
1521: Fall of the Aztecs:
The Spanish conquer the Aztec empire, in present-day Mexico.
1525: Monsters from afar:
The German Lorenz Fries engraves this image for an atlas, depicting native Caribbean people as dog-headed cannibals who live in European-style houses and ride llamas. In the 1500s, Europeans are encountering unfamiliar people as they conquer and colonize North and South America. Images such as Fries's are commonplace during the early years of European contact with the New World. |