Erasmus is one of the most celebrated writers of the Nothern-Renaissance movement. His most famous work, In Praise of Folly, was written in the early sixteenth century and is essentially a satirical work, in which "folly" praises itself. It was meant as an attack on the abuses of the clergy within the Catholic Church and was widely influential at the time. 

Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish writer during the Renaissance. He published his most famous work, Don Quixote, in the early seventeenth century. It is one of the most famous novels of all time, and its influence on the Spanish language and Spanish culture is unparalleled. 

Humanism arose in the early part of the Renaissance period. It was based on the study of classical writings, and the early humanists revered the Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. Humanism emphasized the inherent ability of people to reason, to think critically, and to examine phenomena via evidence.

A "Renaissance Man" is an individual who is dedicated both to the sciences and to the arts. Indeed, to a Renaissance Man the distinction between science and art would be wholly unclear. They used science to understand how to produce better works of art. The classic example of a Renaissance Man is Leonardo da Vinci. He was a consumate artist, but also an inventor and a theorist. 

Beginning with Christopher Columbus' initial voyage in 1492, the Spanish began exploring, conquering, and colonizing the Americas. The Portuguese, having their own growing Empire across Asia and Africa, sought Papal advice on which king could rule which areas. The Treaty of Tordesillas drew a line in the Eastern portion of South America, which gave everything west to Spain and east to Portugal. Thus, the only portion of South America settled by the Portuguese was Brazil.

Columbus' original mission was to find a passage across the Atlantic to establish trade routes with the Far East. When Columbus arrived in the Carribean, he thought he was in the East Indies (hence the use of the term "Indians" for the indiginous people of the Americas). Later Spanish missions would attempt to establish colonies and spread Christianity.

Columbus' expeditions were funded by the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella.

Caravels were invented in Portugal in the fifteenth century. They were extremely maneuverable and allowed Portugal to explore the African coast and the Indian ocean at remarkable speeds.

Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro were both Spanish Conquistadors who arrived in South America in the sixteenth century. Using similar tactics that relied on superior weaponry and manipulating old tribal rivalries, Cortes and Pizarro were able to tear down the two largest civilizations—the Aztecs (Cortes) and the Inca (Pizarro)—in what is now called Latin America.

The early Spanish explorers and colonizers were insatiable in their quest for gold and silver. Driven by the promise of rich reward, they sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans and mined deep into the heart of the South American continent. In one way, they were succesful—the amount of gold and silver they flooded into the European market was unprecedented; however, in the long term, the result was almost as bad for Spain as it was for South America. The Spanish companies and individuals owed so much debt to British and Dutch investment banks and companies that the profit ended up in the hands of others and the price of gold and silver in Spain plummeted.