1491: Pre-Columbian Americas and Early Contact – Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the notes on pre-Columbian Americas, migration theories, Native societies, European exploration, and colonization impacts.

terra preta

Black earth; soil enriched by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon through farming and additives.

Cahokia

A large Mississippian settlement near present-day St. Louis with tens of thousands of people.

Bering Land Bridge

Hypothesized land connection between Asia and North America through which early peoples migrated during the Ice Age.

coastal migration

Alternative theory that migrating peoples moved by boat along the coast rather than crossing the land bridge.

Iroquois Confederacy

A powerful alliance of tribes with councils and shared decision-making.

Pueblos

Native communities that used irrigation to farm in desert regions.

Plains tribes

Native groups in the North American plains who hunted bison.

Mesoamerican & Andean empires

Centralized governments with social hierarchies across regions such as Mesoamerica and the Andes.

matrilineal

Kinship and descent traced through the mother.

caravels

Ships capable of sailing against the wind, enabling longer ocean voyages.

astrolabe

An instrument used to measure the angles of celestial bodies for navigation.

compass

A navigational instrument that shows direction, aiding exploration.

gunpowder

Explosive technology that provided Europeans with military advantages during expansion.

encomienda system

Spanish system that forced Native labor for mining and agriculture.

plantation system

Large agricultural estates (e.g., sugar, tobacco) that transformed land use and labor, often replacing Native workers with enslaved Africans.

great demographic collapse

Massive population decline among Indigenous peoples due to diseases after European contact.

smallpox

A deadly disease introduced by Europeans that significantly reduced Native populations.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colonial settlement later renamed New York City, focused on trade and commerce.