Final answer:
The Reconquista and Columbus's voyages were connected through the religious zeal and identity that emerged from the Reconquista, influencing Spanish motivations for exploration. The Columbian Exchange revolutionized lifestyles across the Eastern and Western Hemispheres through the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Reconquista was a long process of reconquering the Spanish peninsula from Muslim rule, which was completed in 1492 with the conquest of Granada. This event had a significant impact on the Spanish identity and religious beliefs. In the same year, Christopher Columbus set sail on his first voyage to the New World. While his voyage was not directly connected to the Reconquista, the religious zeal and identity that emerged from the Reconquista influenced the Spanish motivations for exploration and colonization in the Americas.
The Columbian Exchange refers to the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after Columbus's voyages. It revolutionized the lifestyles of Europeans, Asians, and Africans as new crops and animals were introduced, and products like tobacco, potatoes, chocolate, corn, and tomatoes made their way from the New World to the Old World. However, the Exchange also had negative consequences, as diseases like smallpox and influenza brought by Europeans caused significant depopulation of Native American populations.