stratification
the state of division into rigid social classes
syncretism
the combination of different forms of belief or practice
mercantilism
an economic system developed to increase the power and monetary wealth of a nation
imperial
of, relating to, befitting, or suggestive of an empire; describes a nation that exerts authority over another by militaric, economic, or diplomatic means
context
the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs
hierarchy
the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing
refute
to prove wrong by argument or evidence
papal
of or relating to a pope or to the Roman Catholic Church
encomienda
a system that allowed for the enslavement of natives and the acquisition of land
incentive
something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action
assimilate
to absorb into the cultural tradition of a population or group
Columbian Exchange
the widespread transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the New World and the Old World in the late 15th and following centuries
patriarchal
of, relating to, or being a social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line
caste
a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race
Bartolome De Las Casas
a Spanish clergyman, writer, and activist best known for his work as a historian and social reformer; advocated for the Catholic conversion of the Native Americans instead of conquest
Maya
a Native American civilization located in Mesoamerica that is noted for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system
Tenochtitlan
the capital of the Aztec empire established in 1325 on Lake Texcoco; now known as Mexico City
Meso-America
the region extending from modern northwestern Mexico approximately to El Salvador that was occupied during pre-Columbian times by peoples such as the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs with shared cultural features
Cahokia
the largest city ever built north of Mexico before Columbus and boasted 120 earthen mounds; built by Native Americans of the Mississippi Valley culture
genocide
the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group
matriarchal
of, relating to, or being a social organization governed by a female leader in which descent and inheritance are traced through the female line
Mestizo
a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry
conquistador
a leader in the Spanish conquest of America and especially of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century; valued gold above all else and were unafraid to die for their country
Iroquois Confederacy
a confederacy of Indigenous peoples originally of New York consisting of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca tribes
sequence
a continuous or connected series
pacify
to reduce the anger or agitation of; to make peaceful
Montezuma II
the ninth and final emperor of the Aztec empire
Inca
the largest empire in pre-Columbian America that was located in the Andes Mountains in modern-day Peru; known for its extensive trade network and roads
synthesis
compares the connection between the thesis or argument with a similar development in another era, area, or situation
bureaucracy
an administrative policy-making group made up of non-elected officials