people
Highly advanced South American civilization that occupied present-day Peru until it was conquered by Spanish forces under Francisco Pizarro in 1532. The Incas developed sophisticated agricultural techniques, such as terrace farming, in order to sustain large, complex societies in the unforgiving Andes Mountains
Incas
Pueblo Indian rebellion that drove Spanish settlers from New Mexico
Pueblo Revolt of 1680
First part of the North American landmass to emerge above sea level
Canadian Shield
Agricultural system employed by North American Indians as early as 1000 A.D.; maize, beans, and squash were grown together to maximize yields.
three sister farming
Small vessel with high decks and three triangular sails; could sail more closely into the wind, allowing European sailors to explore the western shores of Africa.
Caravel
Native American empire that controlled present-day Mexico until 1521, when they were conquered by Spanish Hernán Cortés. The Aztecs maintained control over their vast empire through a system of trade and tribute, and came to be known for their advances in mathematics and writing, and their use of human sacrifices in religious ceremonies.
Aztecs
Fought between Spaniards under Don Juan de Onate and the Pueblo Indians in present-day New Mexico. Spaniards brutally crushed the Pueblo peoples and established the territory as New Mexico in 1609.
Battle of Acoma (1599)
The term commonly describes those societies in which political legitimacy and authority overlay a large degree of cultural commonality.
nation-states
A large-scale agricultural enterprise growing commercial crops and usually employing coerced or slave labor
Plantation
French Protestant dissenters, they were granted limited toleration under the Edict of Nantes. After King Louis XIV outlawed Protestantism in 1685, many fled elsewhere, including to British North America.
hugeunots
People of mixed Indian and European heritage, notably in Mexico
Mestizos
30, 1520) "Sad Night" when the Aztecs attacked Hernan Cortes and his forces in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, killing hundreds; Cortes laid siege to the city the following year, precipitating the fall of the Aztec empire and inaugurating three centuries of Spanish rule.
Noche triste (June 30, 1520)
Mississippian settlement near present-day East St. Louis, home to as many as 25,000 Native Americans
Cahokia
The transfer of goods, crops, and diseases between New and Old World societies after 1492.
Columbian Exchange
Spanish fleet defeated in the English Channel in 1588. The defeat of the Armada marked the beginning of the decline of the Spanish Empire.
Spanish Armada
Sixteenth-century Spaniards who fanned out across the Americas, from Colorado to Argentina, eventually conquering the Aztec and Incan Empires.
Conquistadors (conquerors)
Signed by Spain and Portugal, dividing the territories of the New World. Spain received the bulk of territory in the Americas, compensating Portugal with titles to lands in Africa and Asia.
Treaty of Tordesillas
Spanish government's policy to "commend", or give, Indians to certain colonists in return for the promise to Christianize them. Part of a broader Spanish effort to subdue Indian tribes in the West Indies and on the North American mainland.
Economic system characterized by private property, generally free trade, and open and accessible markets. European colonization of the Americas, and in particular, the discovery of vast bullion deposits, helped bring about Europe's transition to capitalism
Capitalism
Legal principle that the oldest son inherits all family property or land. Landowner's younger sons, forced to seek their fortunes elsewhere, pioneered early exploration and settlement of the Americas.
Primogeniture
abella During the late 15th century, they became King and Queen of a united Spain after centuries of Islamic domination. Together, they made Spain a strong Christian nation and also provided funding to overseas exploration, notably Christopher Columbus, which led to his discovery of the West Indies in 1492.
Ferdinand and Isabella
(1598) Decree issued by the French crown granting limited toleration to French Protestants. Ended religious wars in France and inaugurated a period of French preeminence in Europe and across the Atlantic. Its repeal in 1685 prompted a fresh migration of Protestant Huguenots to North America.
Edict of Nantes (1598)
False notion that Spanish conquerors did little but butcher the Indians and steal their gold in the name of Christ.
Black Legend
pany Short-term partnership between multiple investors to fund a commercial enterprise; such arrangements were used to fund England's early colonial ventures.
joint stock company
Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)
Hernan Cortes