European Motivations
What three things are often summarized as Europe’s motivations for exploration?
God, Gold, and Glory
Name one food that traveled from the Old World to the New World.
Wheat, sugar, coffee, rice, etc.
What civilization did Hernando Cortez Conquer?
Aztecs
What mountain range was home to the Inca Empire?
Andes Mountains
Who was the first European to land in the Americas in 1492?
Christopher Columbus
What economic system drove European nations to seek colonies as sources of wealth and markets?
Mercantilism
Name one food that traveled from the New World to the Old World.
Corn (Maize), potatoes, tomatoes, cacao, etc.
The Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, was built on what geographical feature?
A lake (Lake Texcoco)
What fertile river valley region was home to the Mississippian civilization’s city of Cahokia?
Mississippi River Valley
Hernando de Soto was the first European to cross what major river?
Mississippi River
Why did Spain and Portugal become fierce rivals in the late 1400s and early 1500s?
Both wanted dominance in overseas exploration and trade routes.
What animal, introduced by Europeans, transformed Native American life on the Great Plains because of Mobility?
The Horse
What modern day country did the Aztec Civilization mostly settle in?
Modern Day Mexico
What Civilization resided in one of the driest climates in modern day Nevada and New Mexico and were great with Irrigation?
Pueblo Tribe
What Spanish system forced Native Americans into labor and tribute?
Encomienda System
How did the Protestant Reformation influence European colonization in the New World?
fueled religious rivalries—Protestants and Catholics both sought to spread their faith, while dissenters looked to the New World as a place for religious freedom.
What was the most devastating effect of the Columbian Exchange on indigenous peoples?
The spread of Disease like Smallpox and Measles (50-90 Percent Mortality Rate)
What were the Maya especially advanced in?
Astronomy, math, and the calendar
What navigation tool, borrowed from the Muslims, helped sailors determine latitude by measuring the position of the sun and stars?
The Astrolabe
What English explorer raided Spanish treasure ships for Queen Elizabeth I?
Sir Francis Drake
How did national pride and competition for power motivate European exploration?
Nations sought colonies to increase wealth, prestige, and influence, seeing overseas empires as proof of strength and superiority over rivals.
Which Old World crop… was one of the most coveted, and eventually became the basis of the plantation system in the Americas?
Sugarcane
Why were the Aztecs vulnerable to Spanish conquest?
Cortés formed alliances with rival tribes + diseases weakened them.
Where did England and France establish most of their early settlements in the New World, and how did this differ from Spanish settlements?
England and France settled mainly along the Atlantic coast (America) and in parts of Canada, while Spain concentrated in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
How did Spain’s colonies make it the most powerful European nation in the 1500s?
Gold and silver from the Americas funded Spain’s global dominance