Chapter 14 Flashcards
conquistador
Spanish for conqueror; Spanish soldier-explorers, such as Hernando Cotres and Francisco Pizarro, who sought to conquer the New World for the Spanish crown
caravel
a small, maneuverable, three-mast sailing ship developed by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century that gave the Portuguese a distinct advantage in exploration and trade
Ptolemy’s Geography
A second century work that synthesized the classical knowledge of geography and introduced the concepts of longitude and latitude. Reintroduced to Europeans about 1410 by Arab scholars, its ideas allowed cartographers to create more accurate maps
Treaty of Tordesillas
The 1494 agreement giving Spain everything west to the west of an imaginary line drawn down the Atlantic and giving Portugal everything to the east
Mexican Empire
also known as the Aztec Empire, a large and complex Native American civilization in modern Mexico and Central America that possessed advanced mathematical, astronomical, and engineering technology
Inca Empire
The vast and sophisticated Peruvian empire centered at the capital city of Cuzco that was at its peak from 1438 until 1532
viceroyalties
the name for the four administrative units of Spanish possessions in the Americas: New Spain, Peru, New Granada, and La Plata
encomienda system
a system whereby the Spanish crown granted the conquerors the right to forcibly employ groups of Indians in exchange for providing food, shelter, and Christian teaching
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of animals, plants, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds