Early Spanish and Portuguese Exploration and the Conquest of Mexico

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical figures, treaties, legal documents, cartographic representations, and events of early European colonization and the conquest of Mexico.

La Navidad

A temporary settlement established by Christopher Columbus on Christmas Day at the conclusion of his 1492 voyage, which was found completely destroyed and abandoned upon his return on the second voyage.

1493 Papal Bull

A decree issued by the pope granting authorization for Spanish and Portuguese exploration in the name of Christian evangelization to prevent territorial conflict between the two nations.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement dividing the globe along a line of demarcation that allocated territories west of the line to Spain and territories east of the line to Portugal.

Hatuey

A prominent indigenous chieftain in the Caribbean who commanded substantial community support, functioned as a local leader, and engaged in negotiations with arriving Spanish forces.

Antonio de Montesinos

A Spanish friar who delivered a famous 1511 sermon from the pulpit in Hispaniola denouncing Spanish colonialism and condemning the exploitation of indigenous plantation labor.

Bartolomé de las Casas

A prominent Spanish critic of colonial abuses who initially proposed importing enslaved Africans to spare indigenous populations, before ultimately rejecting all forms of enslavement and debating Sepúlveda at Salamanca.

New Laws of 1542

Legislation passed by the Spanish Crown that officially prohibited indigenous slavery and established labor protections, while continuing to permit the enslavement of Africans.

The Requirement (El Requerimiento)

A 1513 Spanish legal document read to indigenous populations demanding submission to the Spanish Crown and Catholic Church, providing legal justification for conquest and enslavement if rejected.

Diego Homem

A cartographer who created a detailed 1558 colored map of Brazil depicting coastal inlets, indigenous laborers gathering timber, regional fauna, and scenes of cannibalism.

Dyewood

A prized tree harvested in Brazil that produced a coveted red textile dye, establishing a major transatlantic export industry to Portugal during the 1500s.

Diego Velázquez

The governor of Cuba who granted initial permission for Hernán Cortés's expedition to Mesoamerica before expressing doubts, prompting Cortés to leave hastily without authorization.

Hernán Cortés

A Spanish conquistador who launched an unauthorized 1519 expedition from Cuba to Mexico, scuttled his fleet at Veracruz, and led the campaign to conquer Tenochtitlan.

Malintzin (La Malinche)

An enslaved Mesoamerican woman whose language skills made her an indispensable interpreter and cultural intermediary for Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico.

Veracruz

A coastal settlement founded on the Gulf of Mexico by Hernán Cortés after burning his ships to secure a permanent Spanish base and establish a legal foothold for his expedition.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire located in Central Mexico, which was represented on early European maps under corrupted spellings and targeted by Cortés's expedition.