APUSH Unit 1 IDs

Paleo-Indians

First people to migrate to the Americas from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge. Lived as nomadic hunters and spread throughout the Americas.

The Mayas

Mesoamerican civilization known for writing, math, and pyramids. Declined before European contact but influenced later cultures.

The Anasazi

Native people in the Southwest who built cliff dwellings and used irrigation farming. Declined due to drought and conflict.

The City of the Sun (Cahokia)

Large Native city near present-day St. Louis with ceremonial mounds. Major trade and religious center before 1400 CE.

The Aztecs

Powerful empire in central Mexico known for conquest and human sacrifice. Conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Tenochtitlan

Aztec capital built on a lake with canals and temples. Later became Mexico City after Spanish conquest.

Dual-sex principle

Belief in shared male and female roles and authority in many Native and African societies. Contrasted with European patriarchy.

The Black Death

Plague that killed 1/3 of Europe’s population in the 14th century. Caused major social and economic changes.

The Hundred Years’ War

Long conflict between England and France (1337–1453). Weakened feudalism and led to stronger monarchies.

Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile

Spanish monarchs who united Spain and funded Columbus’s voyage in 1492. Launched Spanish exploration and colonization.

Travels by Marco Polo

Book describing Polo’s journey through Asia. Inspired European interest in eastern trade routes.

The Azores, the Madeiras, and the Canaries

Atlantic islands colonized by Spain and Portugal. Used for sugar plantations and stepping stones to the Americas.

Sao Tome

Portuguese island with early sugar plantations using enslaved African labor. Model for later plantation economies.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who sailed for Spain in 1492. Landed in the Caribbean and opened the Americas to European colonization.

Amerigo Vespucci

Explorer who realized the Americas were new continents. The Americas were named after him.

Leif Ericsson

Norse explorer who reached North America around 1000 AD. His voyage was not widely known in Europe.

John Cabot

Italian explorer who sailed for England in 1497. Helped establish English claims in North America.

Hernán Cortés / Malinche

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs. Malinche was his Native translator and advisor.

The encomienda system

System where Spanish colonists received Native labor and tribute. Led to exploitation and population decline.

Spanish missionaries

Catholic priests who tried to convert Natives to Christianity. Key part of Spanish colonization.

The Columbian exchange (disease, flora, and fauna)

Massive transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after 1492.