> CHRONOLOGY

1492

  • Christopher Columbus lands in Caribbean and encounters Tainos.

  • Columbian exchange begins.

1493

  • Columbus makes second voyage to New World.

1494

  • Portugal and Spain sign Treaty of Tordesillas.

1497

  • John Cabot searches for Northwest Passage.

1513

  • Vasco Núñez de Balboa crosses Isthmus of Panama.

1519

  • Ferdinand Magellan sets out to sail around world.