The desire to explore the unknown is an inherently human trait. To voyage to places unseen, sail uncharted waters, and set foot on the shores of a new land has been the dream of many. Imagine what it would have been like to live during the Age of Exploration, when a New World had been discovered!

Historians mark the Age of Exploration as beginning in the early fifteenth century and lasting until the seventeenth century. At this point Europeans had explored Africa and Asia, and were seeking new trade routes and partners. Spices and tea were extremely valuable, and in some cases, worth more than their weight in gold. Seeking these enormous riches was a key motivation in hunting for new routes to India and the Far East. Many, including the Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and English, took to the sea in fierce competition.

Perhaps the most famous voyages are those of Christopher Columbus. Columbus was Italian, but set out on his voyages under the Spanish crown. Like many others, he was searching for a new, faster trade route to Asia by sailing west. Columbus set off from Spain for the East Indies, but landed in what are now the Bahamas. Columbus called these new islands the ‘West Indies’, believing he had landed off the coast of India. Columbus firmly believed he had been right all along, despite never finding the Asian markets, spices, and resources that should have been there.

Europeans soon realized this route led not to Asia, but to a new world altogether. Even though it wasn’t the shorter sea route they were seeking, it was a new region to explore with new resources to exploit and sell. The colonial powers took these discoveries as an opportunity to expand their borders, sending hordes of ships to collect valuable commodities and to develop new settlements abroad. While some resources were immediately available, other crops, such as pineapple and sugar cane, were transplanted from Africa and Asia to these new tropical soils.

Costa Rica’s shores were explored during Columbus’ fourth voyage, and soon became a part of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Unlike other areas Spain colonized, Costa Rica had little silver or gold, and very few native inhabitants who could be forced to work on plantations. Belize, on the other hand, had a large population of Maya, who fiercely fought off the majority of Spanish invaders. The English soon camped out on the coast to try and steal from passing Spanish ships, and eventually claimed Belize as their own.

It’s clear to see this period known as The Age of Exploration, significantly helped in the advancement of geographic and cultural knowledge that quite literally, changed the very shape of the world we know today.

From Past to Present: Learn what life is like for students in Costa Rica.

Blog by Jenny M. Buccos, Matthew Boggie, Brandee Sanders.
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