Latin American Colonial and Revolutionary History Flashcards

This flashcard set covers the key vocabulary terms, figures, documents, and historical events from colonial Latin America and the independence era as listed in the lecture notes.

Grito de Dolores

The 1810 proclamation by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla that signaled the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

A self-taught scholar, nun, and acclaimed poet of 17th-century New Spain who is known as a major literary figure of the Spanish Golden Age.

Virgin of Guadalupe

A central religious and national icon of Mexico representing the apparition of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531.

José Gabriel Condorcanqui

The indigenous leader who adopted the name Túpac Amaru II and led a large-scale rebellion against Spanish authorities in Peru from 1780 to 1781.

Tupac Amaru

The last indigenous monarch of the Neo-Inca State in Peru who was executed by the Spanish in 1572.

Francisco de Toledo

The fifth Viceroy of Peru who is credited with consolidating Spanish colonial administration and institutionalizing the mita labor system.

Plan of Chilpancingo

A document or declaration of independence presented during the Congress of Chilpancingo (1813) that laid out a vision for a sovereign Mexico.

“Sentiments of the Nation”

(Sentimientos de la Nación) A 1813 document by José María Morelos outlining twenty-three points for a new government, including the abolition of slavery.

Bourbon Reforms

A series of economic and political measures introduced by the Spanish Crown during the 18th century to increase royal power and tax collection in the colonies.

Bernardo O’Higgins

A Chilean independence leader who served as the Supreme Director of Chile after its liberation from Spanish rule.

Mulato

A racial category in the colonial caste system referring to a person of mixed European and African descent.

Potosi

A city in present-day Bolivia that was home to a massive silver mine, once the largest and most productive in the world during the colonial era.

Dom Pedro

The first Emperor of Brazil who declared the country's independence from Portugal in 1822.

Cabildo

The municipal council or local administrative body in Spanish colonial cities.

Act of Consolidation/Consolidacion de Vales Reales

An 1804 Spanish decree that sequestered the charitable funds and properties of the Catholic Church to help the crown pay off national debts.

Ferdinand VII

The King of Spain who was twice deposed by Napoleon, whose reign was marked by the loss of most Spanish colonies in the Americas.

Ganga Zumba

The first prominent leader of Palmares, a large runaway slave settlement (quilombo) in colonial Brazil.

José de San Martín

An Argentine general and revolutionary who was a prime leader in the struggle for independence for the southern and central parts of South America.

Battle of Ayacucho (1824)

The decisive military encounter between revolutionary forces and the Spanish army that effectively ended Spanish colonial rule in South America.

Hacienda

A large landed estate or plantation in the Spanish colonies, often used for agriculture or ranching.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

The best-known leader of the Haitian Revolution who fought for the abolition of slavery and Haitian independence.

Obraje

Colonial textile workshops in Latin America that relied on various forms of coerced labor to produce cloth.

José María Morelos

A Catholic priest and revolutionary leader who took command of the Mexican War of Independence after the death of Miguel Hidalgo.

Maroons

Communities of escaped slaves who fled their captors to establish independent settlements in remote areas.

Audencia

A high court and administrative council in the Spanish colonial system that held judicial and executive functions.

Antonio Viera

A 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit priest, diplomat, and intellectual known for his powerful sermons and defense of indigenous peoples in Brazil.

Plan de Iguala

The 1821 revolutionary proclamation by Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero that established the basis for Mexican independence as a constitutional monarchy.

Criollos

People of pure Spanish descent who were born in the Americas, often holding a secondary social status to Peninsulares.

M'ita

A mandatory public service or labor system utilized by the Inca Empire and later adopted by the Spanish for work in the silver mines.

War of Spanish Sucession

A major European conflict (1701–1714) over the succession to the Spanish throne following the death of Charles II, resulting in the Bourbon dynasty.

Mestizo

A term used to describe a person of mixed indigenous American and European descent.