European exploration in the 15th-16th centuries was driven by desires for new trade routes, gold, religion, and national competition. Explorers used new navigation tools like the compass, astrolabe, and caravel ships to explore. Portugal broke the Muslim monopoly on Indian Ocean trade by sailing around Africa. Spain sponsored Columbus, hoping to reach Asia by sailing west, leading to the discovery of the Americas instead. Magellan's voyage was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Native civilizations like the Maya, Aztec, and Inca had advanced societies in the Americas before European contact.