Unit 4 Flashcards
Mercantilism
the economic theory that prosperity of a nation depends upon its supply of capital, and that global trade is unchangeable.
Prince Henry the Navigator
a Portuguese prince sponsored voyages of exploration with the aim of building colonies in the North Atlantic and West Africa, and began the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade
Galleons
Spanish treasure ships which transported precious goods like silk, spices, and porcelain from Manilla in the Philippines to Acapulco, Mexico, between 1565 and 1815
Bartholomew Diaz
the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia
Vasco Da Gama
a Portuguese navigator who, in 1497-9, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa and arrived at Calicut on the south-west coast of India
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese mariner who commanded the first European (Spanish) fleet to circumnavigate the globe (1519-1521)
Conquistadores
any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century
Creole
individuals who were born in the colonies, but had Spanish parents or grandparents
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish explorer who conquered the Incas in what is now Peru and founded the city of Lima
Athualpa
the last ruler of the Inca Empire
Treaty of Tordesillas
an agreement between Spain and Portugal based on a earlier decree by Pope Alexander VI, divided control of any future American territories
Hernan Cortez
Spanish conquistador and explorer, defeated the Aztec empire and claimed Mexico for Spain
Montezuma
the last fully independent ruler of the Aztec empire before the civilization’s collapse after the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th century CE
Indentured servants
a laborer from Europe who, in agreement upon a period of labor (typically 3-7 years), had their passage to the New World funded by a wealthy plantation owner
Chattel slavery
the most common form of slavery known to Americans
Encomienda
a system where Spanish adventurers and settlers were granted the legal right to extract forced labor from indigenous tribal chiefs in the Americas colonies of the Spanish empire.
Mit’a system
a mandatory public service system, where people had to serve for two months out of the year
Joint stock company
a business, often backed by a government charter, that sold shares to individuals to raise money for its trading enterprises and to spread the risks (and profits) among many investors
Triangular trade
system of exchange in which Europe supplied Africa and the Americas with finished goods, the Americas supplied Europe and Africa with raw materials, and Africa supplied the Americas with enslaved laborers
Syncretism
the blending of cultures and ideas from different places
Peninsulares
Spaniards living in the Spanish colonies who were born in Spain, their birth giving them the highest status in the New World
Mestizos
term meaning mixed in Spanish, and is generally used throughout Latin America to describe people of mixed ancestry with a white European and an indigenous background
Mulattos
term used in Latin America that commonly refers to a mixed-race ancestry that includes white European and black African roots
Zambos
Spanish and Portuguese expression referring to people of mixed indigenous and African ancestry
Castas
the Spanish word for “lineage”, to all children of mixed ancestry
