Key terms; Latin America Q1

ayllu

a communal unit in the Inca empire that worked the land in common, part for themselves and part for the Inca ruler and priestly elite.

campesino

a farmer or peasant 

capitalism

an economic and ideological system characterized by private ownership and production for profit.

caudillo

 a strong leader who wields tremendous power over subordinates.

creole

a person of European descent born in the New World.

ejido

common land held by indigenous communities and used for agriculture.

encomendero

the person who received an encomienda.

encomienda

a labor tribute institution used in Spanish America during the colonial period. The Spaniard received indigenous people as an “entrustement” to protect and to Christianize, but in return the Spaniard could demand tribute, especially in the form of labor.

hacienda

a large agricultural estate in Spanish America.

latifundia

like an hacienda but an even larger landholding.

mestizo

a person of “mixed” heritage. Usually it refers to a European and indigenous “mixture”

socialism

a democratic system in which the community owns or controls the major means of production, administering them for the benefit of all.