Mesoamerica Flashcards
Columbian Exchange- what is it/impact)
The Columbian Exchange was the movement of living things between hemispheres.
Portuguese contributions- technology, mapping, schools
The Portuguese contributions are the astrolabe, the Chinese compass, and Henry the Navigator’s School
Treaty of Tordesillas- what is it, how did it impact settlement in the new world
The Treaty of Tordesillas neatly divided the “New World” into land, resources, and people claimed by Spain and Portugal.
Circumnavigation- what is it, why is it important to the Europeans, who did it first
Circumnavigation is the action or process of sailing or otherwise traveling all the way around something, especially the world.
Explorers/Conquistadors- who are they, what did they do
Spanish explorers with hopes of conquest in the New World were known as conquistadores.
Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese mariner whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe in 1519-22.
Prince Henry
Prince Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese explorer, soldier and prince. Although Prince Henry rarely participated in explorations, he sent many expeditions from Portugal to the west coast of Africa, and was responsible for Portugal’s influence in the Great Age of Exploration.
Columbus
Christopher Columbus introduced horses, sugar plants, and disease to the New World, while facilitating the introduction of New World commodities like sugar, tobacco, chocolate, and potatoes to the Old World.
Cortez
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (c. 1485-1547) is best known for conquering the Aztecs and claiming Mexico on behalf of Spain.
Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose to pursue fortune and adventure in the New World.
Da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira, was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.
Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.
Maya, Geography- where are they, environment, how did they adapt
They are in Central America from Chiapas to Yucatan. Although the area is subject to tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes, the soil here is fertile and the climate is pleasantly cooler than the lowlands to the north.
Maya, Religion- what was it like
The Maya had a polytheistic religion, which means they worshipped many gods, including Itzam Na (Creator God), Kinich Ahau (Sun God), Ah Puch (one of several death gods), and Buluc Chabtan (War God). They practiced animism, which is the belief that all things, including inanimate objects, had a soul.
Maya, Economy- trade, agriculture
Their basic agriculture mostly production of corn, beans, and squash. Trade of staple crops as well as prestigious items such as gold, copper, jade and decorated pottery.
