The Europeans encountered a variety of African cultures, economic systems, and
religions. The peoples inhabited vast deserts, grasslands, and tropical forests.
Although most were rural residents, some Africans lived in towns and cities that
rivaled those in Europe. Farming predominated, but there were also artisans who
worked in metals and ceramics. Africans practiced many religions, although the
Islamic faith was dominant in the Upper Guinea region. While slavery existed in
Africa before the Portuguese arrived, African slavery differed greatly from the
European system of exploitation and cruelty. Under the African system of slavery,
slaves had few opportunities, yet they had some legal protections and the institution
was neither permanent nor hereditary.
Widespread European settlement of the Western Hemisphere began after 1492,
when Christopher Columbus made a series of voyages for Spain. Although
Columbus did not discover the Northwest Passage, he began what is known as the
Columbian Exchange, which transformed the Atlantic world. This transfer of plants,
animals, and, regrettably, diseases among the four regions of the Atlantic world
altered world history. The Europeans introduced crops such as wheat, rye, and rice to
the Americas. In return, the indigenous peoples contributed maize, chocolate, and
peanuts to the European diet. In addition, the Spanish brought horses with them and
they discovered new species of animals as they explored the land.
Most tragically, the exchange spread disease throughout the Atlantic world.
Interacting with the peoples of the Western Hemisphere, the Europeans and Africans
carried the germs of smallpox, typhus, measles, and malaria with catastrophic results.
Because they had never encountered these diseases, the native people had no
immunity from them. It is estimated that as many as 80 million people perished in the
first 150 years of contact among the various groups.
SPANISH ASCENDANCY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
The Spanish built on Columbus’s voyages by conquering the peoples of Mexico, Peru,
and what is now the American Southwest. The Native Americans exhibited vast
diversity in the size and complexity of their societies. In Mexico, the Aztec were a
warlike people who built great cities such as Tenochtitlán, with a population of
300,000 and imposing pyramids, temples, and palaces. The Inca of Peru had a well-
trained army, great quantities of gold and silver, and intricate networks of roads and
bridges. The Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni of the American Southwest were simpler people
who lived in villages and survived by farming, hunting, and gathering.
These groups worshipped multiple gods, allowed women some political influence, and
believed in communal property. Part of their downfall was their inability to unite