jan 1, 1492 - Columbus's "Discovery" of the Americas

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Columbus's landing in the Americas at the end of the 15th century kicked off an era in which the new world — the Americas — and the old world — Afro-Eurasia — became increasingly interconnected and intertwined. North American culture at the time varied throughout the continent and was not centralized in many ways. However, animistic religions (those which worship forces of nature such as trees, rivers, and mountains) were common, and people who were seen as having both male and female spirits were called two-spirits. Finally, maize, beans, and squash — the three sisters crops — were very important for North American agricultural societies.

The "discovery" of the Americas allowed many European maritime empires such as Spain, Portugal, France, Britain, and the Netherlands to expand their territories. Spain was easily able to take over much of the Americas, and employed a complex hierarchical system in order to maintain control over their new colonies. This system included peninsulares, who were people born in Spain and were appointed to make up the colonial government; viceroys, who were also appointed by the king to control overseas land; and the Hacienda system, in which wealthy families would own a manor in a colony and use either indentured servitude (contracted labor) or chattal slavery (I-own-you-completely) to make a profit.

This spread of Europeans into the Americas led to the adoption of (some or all of) European culture into American society. Catholicism was spread prominently by the Portuguese, Spanish, and French, and syncretism (the mixing of religions) became somewhat common. An example of a new syncretic religion is Vodun, which appeared first in Haiti and was a blend of African religion and Catholic symbolism and imagery.

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