When Worlds Collide discusses the momentous events of 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, connecting two worlds that had developed independently for thousands of years. The arrival of Europeans forever altered life for the indigenous peoples of the Americas and led to the exchange of commodities between the two worlds, fueling economic growth in Europe. It also examines the decline of the vast Spanish Empire in the late 1500s as it relinquished its role as the world's sole superpower.

1. When Worlds Collide By: Maria MorenoProfessor ArguelloHistory 33

2. In 1492, two worlds that for thousands of years had developed completely independent of one another suddenly came into contact.

3. According to the conventional narrative of the last five hundred years, before Columbus arrived the Americas were filled with primitive peoples who were easily conquered by a vastly superior European culture.

4. momentous step in 1492 in pursuit of religious unity: they ordered the Jews of Spain, some of whose ancestors had lived there for more than 700 years, to convert to Christianity or leave the country.Columbus returned to Spain in March 1493 with word of his discoveries, New World commodities and treasure flowed across the ocean, forever altering life in Europe. Gold and silver mined in the mountains of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia provided an incredible stimulus to the European economy.

5. . Like many great powers throughout history, Isabella had to make the choice—God or gold? The choice Isabella made shaped Spain's legacy in the New WorldPeru in 1539, the son of an Incan princess and a Spanish conquistador.