Rabbit
A written plan of government that describes the laws and rules of a country. Many new Latin American nations wrote constitutions after gaining independence.
Constitution
The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment.
Liberation
People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. They made up a large part of the population and worked as farmers, craftspeople, and laborers.
Mestizos
Belonging to the highest social class, usually wealthy landowners with special privileges.
Aristocratic
A Criollo military leader from Venezuela who became known as "The Liberator." He led independence movements across South America and helped free Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish rule.
Simón Bolívar
A form of government where citizens elect representatives to make decisions.
Republic
People of Spanish ancestry born in the Americas. They were wealthy and educated but could not hold the top government positions.
Criollos
The original inhabitants of the Americas before European colonization. They faced harsh treatment, were forced to work on plantations and in mines, and lost much of their land.
Indigenous Peoples
A Catholic priest in Mexico who started the Mexican independence movement in 1810. He believed in equality and fought for the rights of Indigenous peoples and Mestizos.
Miguel Hidalgo
Unfair differences in rights, opportunities, and treatment between social groups.
Social Inequality
A government ruled by a king or queen. Spain was a monarchy that controlled most of Latin America before independence.
Monarchy
People born in Spain who lived in the colonies. They held the highest positions in government and the church, even though they were a small part of the population.
Peninsulares
A government ruled by a king or queen.
Monarchy
The original inhabitants of the Americas before European colonization.
Indigenous Peoples
A person who fights to completely change a government or social system.
Revolutionary
Freedom from control by another country or government.
Independence