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Wow. Portugal became a major player
葡萄牙完全是出于巧合
in the New World completely by accident.
成了新大陆发现的主力军
Soon all the seafaring nations of Western Europe
很快所有西欧的航海国家
had the technology to sail
都掌握了横渡大西洋
across the Atlantic and around the world.
和环绕世界的技术
They had pilot books,
他们有航行书
the magnetic compass
磁罗盘
and the astrolabe
星盘
which measured the angle of celestial bodies
用来测量视野内
from the horizon.
天体的角度
Their ships were mounted with cannon
他们的航船配备了大炮
which fired iron balls or even stones
能够从很远的距离
and could wreck an opposing ship or a fortress
发射铁炮甚至是石头
from a pretty good distance.
从而击垮对面的船只或堡垒
The European explorers claimed to be
这些欧洲探险家声称自己
on a quest to Christianize
是在向那些所谓的野蛮异教徒
the so called savage heathens
宣扬基督教
but this was more of a pretext than anything else.
但这其实只是个借口
They were more interested in Gold,
他们更感兴趣的是黄金
spices and whatever other riches they could extract
香料，以及任何他们
from their new discoveries
在无人居住的新世界
in the new world of Terra Nullius,
发现的财富
nobodies land, it's ours now.
这些无人居住的土地，现在是我们的了
The voyages of Columbus
哥伦布和达伽马的
and of Vasco De Gama
航行
had in effect shrunk the world
实际上使世界缩小
and begun the process of globalization.
开始了全球化进程
A wave of exploration was about to begin
一场探索热潮即将展开
but before we discuss it in greater detail
但是在我们仔细讨论这一点之前
we need to examine life in the America's
我们需要看一下欧洲人到来之前
before the western Europeans arrived.
美洲的情况
Segment 2C;
第三节
the New World 1500AD.
1500年的新大陆
When the first western Europeans
当第一批欧洲人
reached the Americas
到达美洲时
they saw it as Terra Nullius;
他们以为这里无人居住
land belonging to nobody
这片土地不属于任何人
and therefore open to exploitation.
因此大家可以任意开采
But belonging to nobody
但是这种看法
was far from the truth.
一点都不准确
The latest estimate of the America's population
1500年美洲人口的
in 1500AD is 40 million people
最少估计是4000万
which is roughly the estimated population of
差不多和当时的西欧人口数
Western Europe at the same time.
一样
Most of this population
大多数人口
lived in Central and South America
居住在美洲的中部和南部
where mighty empires
也就是阿兹特克和印加古国
such as those of the Aztecs and the Incans emerged.
建立的地方
The Aztec and Inca Empires, as we will see,
阿兹特克和印加古国，我们之后会看到
left behind a large, magnificent legacy.
留下了很多伟大的遗产
Sadly we have much less to work with
可惜的是关于北美的印第安人
concerning the North American Indians
我们没有很多的资料
yet the original natives of what is now
不过现在的美国和加拿大的
the United States and Canada have left behind
印第安人已经遗留下了
an important legacy of their own
自己很重要的遗产
which we will also explore.
可供我们研究
Empires of Central and South America
中美洲和南美洲的古国
the Aztec Empire would be more accurately called
阿兹特克古国，更准确地说
the Toltec Empire
托尔特克古国
because this is the name
因为这是这些阿兹特克人
the so called Aztecs used for themselves.
称呼自己的名字
Around 1258AD the Aztecs,
1258年左右，阿兹特克人
to avoid confusion,
为了避免混乱
arrived in the vicinity of modern Mexico City
来到了现在的墨西哥城附近
and by 1375
在1375年
they had successfully founded there
他们在那儿已经成功建立了
the capital city of Tenochtitlan.
都城特诺奇蒂特兰
From 1440 to 1500AD
从1440到1500年
the Aztecs successfully acquired
阿兹特克人成功建立了
an empire which they basically exploited
主要为特诺奇蒂特兰精英服务的
for the elites of Tenochtitlan,
帝国
a city which reached a population of
这个都城的人口在
around 300000 people.
30万人左右
One of the Aztecs conquests
阿兹特克的一个战利品
was the fabled Mayan Empire
就是已经没落的玛雅古国
which some date as far back as 400BC.
它最早可追溯到400BC
The Aztec King ruled his empire
阿兹特克国王通过
with a strong and blood thirsty hand
强大的军事和
backed by a strong military
强有力的手段进行统治
yet the Aztec Empire was already falling apart
但当西班牙征服者
when the Spanish Conquistador
赫尔南·科尔斯特于1519年到来时
Hernando Cortez arrived in 1519.
阿兹特克帝国已经开始衰落了
Although Hernando Cortez
尽管赫尔南·科尔斯特
had been ordered not to attack Tenochtitlan,
接到命令不进攻特诺奇蒂特兰
he did just that in 1519.
他还是在1519年这样做了
After kidnapping King Montezuma the 2nd
在绑架了蒙特苏马二世之后
Cortez conquered the Aztec Empire in 1522.
科尔斯特与1522年占领了阿兹特克国
Spain was able to begin shaping
使得西班牙可以将
its newly acquired Terra Nullius
新获得的无人之地
into a full fledged overseas empire.
发展成为成熟的海外帝国
