Latin American History: Pre-Columbian to Post-Independence

Vocabulary flashcards covering Pre-Columbian civilizations, European conquest, colonial social structure, independence movements, and post-colonial nation-building across Latin America.

Abya Yala

Meaning "the flourishing land," the indigenous designation for the Americas, which supported 50-60 million inhabitants and 1,000-2,000 languages before European conquest.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, a three city-state alliance located in central Mexico.

Nahuatl

The language spoken within the Aztec Empire.

Three sisters

The trio of foundational crops (corn, bean, and squash) cultivated by Maya city-states.

Tawantinsuyu

The Inca Empire, centered along the Andes from southern Colombia to northern Chile, with its capital at Cuzco.

Quechua and Aymara

The primary languages spoken across the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu).

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who allied with the Tlaxcalans and Totonacs to defeat Moctezuma and cause the fall of the Aztecs in 1521 using siege warfare and smallpox.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who allied with Huascar's forces and used smallpox and deceit to cause the fall of Atahualpa and the Inca Empire in 1532.

Encomienda

A colonial labor system established in the 1500s that exploited indigenous labor for agricultural and mining operations.

Zacatecas and Potosi

Major silver and gold mining sites in Mexico and Bolivia, respectively, which accounted for 90% of colonial exports and tripled the European money supply.

White gold

A term referring to sugar, the primary export product of colonial plantation economies supported by racial slavery.

Peninsulares

Colonial elites born on the Iberian peninsula who held top administrative, military, and religious positions such as viceroys, bishops, and generals.

Criollos

People of European descent born in the Americas who occupied the second tier of the colonial Casta system.

Mestizos

Individuals of mixed European and indigenous ancestry within the colonial Casta system.

Mulattos

Individuals of mixed European and African ancestry within the colonial Casta system.

Vasco de Quiroga

Bishop who oversaw Repúblicas de indios in Michoacan and Guanajuato, Mexico, establishing hospitals, communal property, craftsmen, and a 6-hour workday.

Palmares

A Maroon kingdom in Brazil (1605-1694) populated by 10,000 to 30,000 escaped slaves that successfully maintained autonomy from colonial rule.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) who promulgated a constitution that abolished slavery in Saint-Domingue.

Grito de Dolores

The 1810 call for Mexican independence initiated by Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Maria Morelos under the banner of the Virgen de Guadalupe.

Simon Bolivar

Independence leader who envisioned "Gran Colombia" as a united Hispanic America organized as a constitutional republic with slavery abolition and land redistribution.

Don Pedro

Son of the Portuguese king who declared "Independence or death!" in 1822, establishing the independent Empire of Brazil.

Caudillo

Charismatic military and political leaders in post-independence Latin America who favored strong centralized authority.

Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia

The ruler ("dictator") of Paraguay from 1811 to 1864 who instituted economic protectionism, confiscated church/elite land, mandated free elementary education, and enforced mestizaje.

War of the Triple Alliance

A conflict (1864-1870) that resulted in Paraguay losing 50% of its total population and 40% of its territorial land.