Image ("Conquistador").
Overview
From 1492, when Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World, to 1600, exploration of the New World was exclusively controlled by Spain (“Colonization”). This Age of Exploration brought immense political change in the Americas as well as Spain. The Spanish conquistadors completely overthrew the Native American governments, such as the Mayans and the Aztecs (“Native Peoples Prior to European Arrival”). Essentially, all of the native cultures and political systems in New Spain were wiped out. Meanwhile in Europe, the monarchy was as strong as ever, and technology and the economy were advancing and growing like no other.