The 1500s were a time of heroes and explorers who chased their dreams across the seven seas. European sailors from Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, and France sailed across the globe in uncharted waters. Back home the words and deeds of these sailors were the subject of books, poems, songs, and plays. It was a dangerous life and the hardships were many. Death and disease stalked the sailors over every horizon.

European explorers did not set out to become heroes, however. They were searching for riches. In 1492 Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot in the Americas, on the island he called San Salvador. One of the first questions he asked the Arawak people who lived there was "Where is the gold?" Columbus's view was shared by many explorers when he wrote, "Gold constitutes treasure and he who possesses...