AP U.S. History Vocab Period 1 (1491-1607)

Hohokam, Anasazi, and Pueblos (1.2)

• Definition: Native American groups in the Southwest who built irrigation systems, cliff dwellings, and adobe houses.

• Examples: Hohokam canals in Arizona; Anasazi cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde; Pueblo adobe villages in New Mexico.

Mayas (1.2)

• Definition: Mesoamerican civilization known for advanced mathematics, writing, and city-states.

• Examples: Built pyramids at Chichén Itzá; created a calendar system; developed glyph writing.

Aztecs (1.2)

• Definition: Powerful Mesoamerican empire in central Mexico with a capital at Tenochtitlán.

• Examples: Practiced human sacrifice; built chinampas (“floating gardens”); defeated by Hernán Cortés.

Incas (1.2)

• Definition: South American empire in the Andes, known for engineering and road systems.

• Examples: Built Machu Picchu; used quipus (knotted strings) for record-keeping; conquered by Francisco Pizarro.

Corn/Maize (1.2)

• Definition: Staple crop of the Americas that supported large populations and civilizations.

• Examples: Grown by Mayas and Aztecs; spread to Europe in the Columbian Exchange; key to Pueblo farming.

Algonquian (1.2)

• Definition: Native language group along the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes.

• Examples: Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia; traded furs with French; lived in wigwams.

Longhouses (1.2)

• Definition: Long, communal wooden houses used by Iroquois and other tribes.

• Examples: Housed multiple families; symbol of Iroquois unity; up to 200 feet long.

Iroquois Confederation (1.2)

• Definition: Alliance of tribes (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, later Tuscarora) in the Northeast.

• Examples: Created a council for peace; influenced U.S. government ideas; lived in New York region.

Gunpowder (1.3)

• Definition: Explosive substance used in weapons, introduced to Europe from China.

• Examples: Used in cannons; gave Europeans a military advantage; spread during Crusades.

Sailing compass (1.3)

• Definition: Navigation tool from China that improved sea travel.

• Examples: Guided explorers like Columbus; increased long-distance voyages; reduced risk of getting lost.

Printing Press (1.3)

• Definition: Machine invented by Gutenberg to mass-produce books.

• Examples: Spread Bible readings; allowed rapid spread of maps; helped fuel the Renaissance.

Isabella and Ferdinand (1.3)

• Definition: Monarchs of Spain who unified the country and funded exploration.

• Examples: Sponsored Columbus’s voyage; expelled Moors from Spain; strengthened Catholicism.

Christopher Columbus (1.3)

• Definition: Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Americas in 1492.

• Examples: Landed in the Caribbean; believed he found Asia; started Spanish colonization.

Henry the Navigator (1.3)

• Definition: Portuguese prince who promoted navigation and exploration.

• Examples: Established a school for sailors; encouraged voyages along Africa; expanded trade routes.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1.3)

• Definition: Agreement dividing new lands between Spain and Portugal (1494).

• Examples: Spain controlled Americas; Portugal got Brazil; set early colonial boundaries.

Roanoke Island (1.3)

• Definition: First English attempt at settlement in North America, mysteriously disappeared.

• Examples: Founded by Sir Walter Raleigh; known as the “Lost Colony”; located in present-day North Carolina.

Protestant Reformation (1.3)

• Definition: Religious movement challenging Catholic authority, starting with Martin Luther.

• Examples: Led to creation of Protestant churches; caused religious wars in Europe; spread to England.

Nation-states (1.3)

• Definition: Countries with centralized governments and shared culture.

• Examples: Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella; France under Louis XI; England under Henry VII.

Smallpox; measles (1.4)

• Definition: Diseases brought by Europeans that devastated Native populations.

• Examples: Killed up to 90% of indigenous peoples; spread quickly without immunity; part of Columbian Exchange.

Joint-stock company (1.4)

• Definition: Business structure where investors pool money for colonial ventures.

• Examples: Funded Jamestown (Virginia Company); reduced financial risk; early form of corporations.

Encomienda (1.5)

• Definition: Spanish system granting settlers control over Native labor in return for “protection.”

• Examples: Forced labor in mines; often abused; criticized by Las Casas.

Asiento (1.5)

• Definition: Spanish license allowing the importation of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

• Examples: Increased African slave trade; replaced Native labor; part of Spanish colonial economy.

Conquistadors (1.5)

• Definition: Spanish conquerors who claimed lands in the Americas.

• Examples: Hernán Cortés in Mexico; Francisco Pizarro in Peru; spread Spanish culture and Catholicism.

Hernán Cortés (1.5)

• Definition: Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire.

• Examples: Captured Tenochtitlán; allied with rival tribes; used superior weapons.

Francisco Pizarro (1.5)

• Definition: Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire.

• Examples: Captured Atahualpa; looted gold and silver; claimed Peru for Spain.

Slave trade (1.5)

• Definition: Forced transport of Africans to the Americas for labor.

• Examples: Part of the triangular trade; supplied plantation labor; millions enslaved.

Middle Passage (1.5)

• Definition: Brutal sea voyage that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas.

• Examples: Overcrowded ships; high death rates; survivors sold into slavery.

New Laws of 1542 (1.6)

• Definition: Spanish laws meant to protect Natives and end encomienda abuses.

• Examples: Inspired by Las Casas; limited forced labor; resisted by colonists.

Bartolomé de Las Casas (1.6)

• Definition: Spanish priest who fought for Native rights and opposed encomienda.

• Examples: Wrote A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies; influenced New Laws; argued against Sepúlveda.

Valladolid Debate (1.6)

• Definition: Debate in Spain (1550–1551) over treatment of Natives.

• Examples: Las Casas defended Native rights; Sepúlveda supported conquest; no clear resolution.

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1.6)

• Definition: Spanish scholar who argued Natives were inferior and needed Spanish rule.

• Examples: Opposed Las Casas in Valladolid Debate; justified conquest; believed in “natural slavery.”