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Map of Cochin
A 1635 map of Portuguese Cochin on the southwest coast of India. Cochin (modern Kochi) was a major hub of the spice trade and was colonised by Portugal in the early years of the 16th century. (Livro das Plantas de Todas as Fortalezas, António...
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Diego de Almagro in Chile
A 20th-century mural by Pedro Subercaseaux showing Diego de Almagro (c. 1475-1538), the Spanish conquistador on his expedition of conquest in Chile from 1535 to 1537.
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Map of Spanish Conquest & Exploration in North America
This map illustrates the expansion of Spanish imperial power following the completion of the Reconquista in 1492 and the voyages of Christopher Columbus (first voyage 1492). Fueled by promises of land, gold, and glory, Spain launched one...
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La Doncella
La Doncella, "The maiden", one of the three mummies of Inca children sacrificed c. 1500 and found in 1999 near the top of the Llullaillaco volcano, on the Argentina–Chile border.
Museum of High Altitude Archaeology, Salta, Argentina.
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Inca Trapezoid Windows
Typical imperial Inca trapezoid windows from the sacred precinct of Coricancha, Cuzco, c. 1438 CE.
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Portuguese Ceramic Tile
A polychrome faience azulejo (or glazed ceramic tile) showing a vase of flowers with cherubim. This tile is typical of designs influenced by Portugal's overseas colonies and territories. The tile is from Nossa Senhora da Esperança Convent...
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The Chicken's Wedding Panel
The Chicken’s Wedding panel (1660-1667 CE) is an azulejo (glazed ceramic tile) from the 17th century CE. A chicken is conveyed in a carriage that is escorted by a cortege of monkeys playing musical instruments. Singerie (French for “Monkey...
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Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan, or Fernão de Magalhães (c. 1480-1521), was a Portuguese mariner whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe in 1519-22 in the service of Spain. Magellan was killed on the voyage in what is today the Philippines...
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Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) was a Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico from 1519. Taking the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1521, Cortés plundered Mesoamerica as he became the first ruler of the new colony...
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Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator (aka Infante Dom Henrique, 1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who famously helped capture the North African city of Ceuta, sponsored voyages of exploration with the aim of building colonies in the North Atlantic...