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Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator,  impacted early America by settling much of the West Coast.

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Robert de La Salle explored the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the region surrounding the Mississippi for France.

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Don Juan de Oñate was a Spanish conquistador who established the colony of New Mexico for Spain.

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Varranzo was an explorer who is renowned as the first European to explore the North American Atlantic Coast, opening the way for future exploration and settlements.

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Giovanni Caboto was an Italian explorer who was the first to step on North American soil since the Vikings and laid the groundwork for the British in Canada.

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Malinche was a young slave woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast who assisted in the conquest of the Aztecs by acting as an interpreter and advisor for Herman Cortes.

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Montezuma II was the last Aztec emperor, defeated by Hernan Cortes in 1520. He became resented by his subjects after frequent demands for religious sacrifice, and was overthrown shortly after Cortez's arrival.

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Junipero Serra had a major impact on American civilization by his founding of missionary settlements in California.

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Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador who claimed Mexico from the Aztec Empire for Spain. He is famous for turning the Aztec people against themselves and their ruler Montezuma.

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Las Casas was a Spanish missionary who became angry with the encomienda system that forced the native people to work in exchange for education in Christianity. He fought for the rights of the native people to their homeland.

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Fransisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who conquered Peru and founded Lima, its capital city. He also joined Balboa in his discovery of the Pacific Ocean.

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Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who helped in the conquests of Central America and Peru. He also discovered the Mississippi River.

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Francisco Coronado was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition to the southwestern United States to find the legendary 'seven golden cities'. Though they were unsuccessful, they did discover the Grand Canyon and several other now-famous landmarks.

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Ponce de Leon was a Spanish conquistador who, on a search for gold, founded the settlement in Puerto Rico and gave the state of Florida its name, becoming its first governor.

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Ferdinand Magellan led the first European expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Though Magellan himself ended up dying, his fleet circumnavigated the world in a single voyage.

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Balboa was a Spanish conquistador who helped establish the first stable settlement in South America. He also discovered the Pacific Ocean in 1513 and claimed it for Spain, opening up the area for exploration.

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Christopher Columbus was a navigator whose voyages opened the way for exploration and colonization of the Americas. Though he is credited with discovering the Americas he also exploited and mistreated the indigenous people who resided there.

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Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile

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Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile

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Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain through their marriage and supported the Church by making non-Christians either convert or face exile. They also financed the exploration of Christopher Columbus.

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Vasco de Gama was the first person to sail directly from Europe to India.

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Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvaʃku ðɐ ˈɣɐmɐ]; c. 1460s - 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India (1497-1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and therefore, the West and the Orient.

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Dias led the first European expedition around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, opening the sea route to Asia.

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Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to explore Asia. He impacted future events by expanding trade routes and leaving a detailed record of his experiences, inspiring future European explorers.

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The Norse began to colonize areas of the North Atlantic in the 10th century AD. However, the settlements on continental North America were small and did not become permanent.

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Hiawatha was a Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, which was a unification of the Iroquois peoples.

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The Mississippian Settlement was the last major prehistoric development in North America, and stretched over much of southeastern America. It was an agrarian society that cultivated mainly corn, beans, and squash.

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The Mound Builders were made up of several ancient Native American tribes who constructed various types of mounds for religious and burial purposes. Their cultures were described by sixteenth century Spanish explorers.

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The Aztecs were the rulers of a large empire in central and Southern Mexico through the 15th and 16th centuries. They were hunters and gatherers who were class-divided and dominated by their military. The Aztec Empire ended when Montezuma II was imprisoned by Hernan Cortes. Their highly advanced civilization was a great influence on modern society.