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European Wave of Global Exploration (1540s)

Type Event Region North America Time 1540–1549

In the 1540s, Spain, Portugal, and rising maritime powers pushed global exploration to a new stage, with expeditions in North America, the Pacific, B…

Timeline

  1. 1540–1542North American Southwest · North American SouthwestFrom 1540 to 1542, the Coronado expedition penetrated the present-day southwestern United States in search of the "Seven Cities," while the De Soto expedition crossed the Southeast in the same period and reached the Mississippi River, making systematic contact with Pueblo and Great Plains indigenous peoples.
  2. 1542–1546Pacific Ocean · MoluccasIn 1542 Villalobos led a Spanish fleet across the Pacific from Mexico, reaching the Philippine Islands in 1546 and continuing on to the Moluccas, challenging the Portuguese monopoly on the East Indies spice trade.
  3. 1543–1549Japan and India · IndiaIn 1543 the Portuguese arrived at Tanegashima and introduced firearms; in 1549 Francis Xavier went to Japan to missionize. Meanwhile, the Society of Jesus expanded in Goa, the Moluccas, and elsewhere, combining exploration with religious propagation.

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