The Americas And Exploration Flashcards
What does Indigenous mean?
inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists.
Who were the Maya?
Mesoamerican Indians occupying a nearly continuous territory in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize. In the early 21st century some 30 Mayan languages were spoken by more than five million people, most of whom were bilingual in Spanish. known for pyramids and concept of zero.
Who were the Aztecs?
The Aztecs were a powerful civilization that ruled over much of central and southern Mexico from the 13th to the 16th century. known for sacrifice, floating gardens
Who were the Inca?
The Inca were South American Indians who ruled an empire that extended along the Pacific coast and Andean highlands from the northern border of modern Ecuador to the Maule River in central Chile. known forhigh cities
What was the Columbian Exchange?
the transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World of Europe and Africa and the New World of the Americas
What was the Encomienda?
legal system by which the Spanish crown attempted to define the status of the indigenous population.
What was the Missions System?
A group of missions founded in by Franciscan monks in the Spanish colonies that forces Native people to convert to Catholicism and adopt Spanish agriculture and culture.
What is a Conquistador?
any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century.
Who was Hernan Cortez?
a Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec Empire.
Who was Fransisco Pizarro?
Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.
Who was Bartoleome de la Casa?
an early Spanish historian and Dominican missionary who was the first to expose the oppression of indigenous peoples by Europeans in the Americas and to call for the abolition of slavery there
