AP World 19.1

Iberian Peninsula

The region in southwestern Europe that includes Spain and Portugal.

Reconquista

The centuries-long process of Christian kingdoms retaking territory from Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula.

Encomienda

Grant of Indian laborers made to Spanish conquerors and settlers in Mesoamerica and South America; basis for earliest forms of coerced labor in Spanish colonies.

Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile

Monarchs of largest Christian kingdoms in Iberia; marriage created united Spain; responsible for reconquest of Granada, initiation of exploration of New World. 

1492 Significance

The year marking the fall of Granada, the last Muslim kingdom, and Christopher Columbus's voyage.

Cortés's Strategy

Cortés used alliances with native tribes and superior weaponry to defeat the Aztecs.

The Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, and diseases between the Americas and Europe.

Pizarro's Conquest

The conquest of the Inca Empire, led by Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

Viceroyalty of New Spain

A large administrative region created by the Spanish crown that included Mexico and parts of Central America.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Dominican friar who supported peaceful conversion of the Native American population of the Spanish colonies; opposed forced labor and advocated Indian rights.

Spanish Colonization Timeline

Major phases included conquest (1492-1570), consolidation (1570-1700), and reform (1700s).

Caribbean

First area of Spanish exploration and settlement; served as experimental region for nature of Spanish colonial experience; encomienda system of colonial management initiated here. 

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The forced transportation of African slaves to work on plantations in the Americas.

Patriarchal Structure

A social system where men hold primary power, evident in Iberian and Latin American societies.

The Role of the Church

The church played a key role in colonization, aligning closely with the state.

Conquistadors’ Motivation

Many conquistadors sought wealth, prestige, and the opportunity to convert indigenous peoples.

Resistance from Native Peoples

Ongoing struggles by indigenous groups against Spanish colonization efforts.

Moral Questions of Conquest

Debates among Europeans regarding the justification of conquest and treatment of indigenous populations.

Internal Divisions Among Indigenous Empires

Factors contributing to Spanish conquest success, as rivalries weakened resistance.

Hispaniola

First island in Caribbean settled by Spaniards; settlement founded by Columbus on second voyage to New World; Spanish base of operations for further discoveries in New World. 

Encomendero

The holder of a grant of Indians who were required to pay a tribute or provide labor; responsible for their integration into the church.

Hernán Cortés

Led expedition of 600 to coast of Mexico in 1519; conquistador responsible for defeat of Aztec empire; captured Tenochtitlan. 

Moctezuma II

Last independent Aztec emperor; killed during Hernán Cortés's conquest of Tenochtitlan. 

Mexico City

Capital of New Spain; built on ruins of Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

New Spain

Spanish colonial administrative unit including Central America, Mexico, and the southeast and southwest of the present-day United States. 

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Leader of Spanish expedition into northern frontier region of New Spain; entered what is now United States in search of mythical cities of gold.

Pedro de Valdivia

Spanish conquistador; conquered Araucanian Indians of Chile and established city of Santiago in 1541.