Technology


 * Technology**

Rudders Masts Sails Planks Hulls Astrolobe Magnetic Compass Lance Swords Harquebus Crossbow Steel Armor The original ships used before the rapid exploring done by european explorers were horrible. They requried lots of crew and lots of wind. The new Portugese ships had angled and stronger rudders, more and better masts, tougher, more durable, and easier-to-handle sails. Planks and hulls were also made more durable and more waterproof.
 * __Ships__**
 * __Navigation__**
 * __Weapons__**
 * Ships**

Many new navigation instruments were invented in this time period. The astrolobe is just one of the new instruments. The astrolobe was a portable device used by sailors to help them find their way and navigate. By measuring the distance of the sun and stars above the horizon, the astrolabe helped determine latitude, an important tool in navigation. Without the astrolobe, many sailors would have been lost at sea. The magnetic compass, another new tool was improved upon from it's earlier form.
 * Navigation**

In the Spanish army, there were two types of soilders. Cavalry and foot soldiers. Cavalry soldiers were genrally richer and more important. The usual cavalry weapons were a lance and a sword. The lance was a heavy piece of wood with an iron tip which could be used to ram into enemies, almost always killing them. In close range, a sword would be used, and with deadly effectivness. Spanish foot soldiers used a variety of weapons. Most people think that it was firearms that brought the natives down, but it wasn't. There was a harquebus, which was a firearm in sorts, but it was slow to fire and reload, and firing it involved a complicated process where a wick was let and had to be kept lit. The harquebus was mostly used for terrorizing the natives because they thought the Spanish could harness the pwoer of thunder. Crossbows were also used, but they were slow to reload, so they were not common in the army. Mostly soldiers used a fine Toledan sword blade. The main advantage of the Spanish army was that they had heavy steel armor that covered there whole body. The weapons in Europe were specially designed to pierce the steel armor. The natives had no such weapons. With these added advantages, Europeans were able to conquer with much smaller armies. For example, Francisco Pizarro conquered the over 50,000 Inca army with about 180 men. Those odds are like 6 to one.
 * Weapons**

Kyle Kennedy