chapter 1 bew world begginge

Incas

A highly advanced civilization in South America (Peru region), known for terrace farming and an extensive road system.

Aztecs

A powerful empire in central Mexico, with its capital at Tenochtitlán, known for agriculture, trade, and human sacrifice.

Three-sister farming

An agricultural method used by Native Americans where maize, beans, and squash were grown together.

Cahokia

A Mississippian culture city near present-day St. Louis, once home to 20,000–40,000 people and known for its large earthen mounds.

Canadian Shield

A massive geological plateau in northeast North America, shaped by glaciers; the first part of the continent to emerge above sea level.

Caravel

A small, fast Portuguese sailing ship with lateen sails that allowed for better navigation against winds and currents.

Plantation

Large-scale agricultural estates that relied on slave or coerced labor to grow cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and later cotton.

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and the New World after 1492.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement between Spain and Portugal in 1494 dividing the New World between them along a north-south line.

Encomienda

Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to demand tribute and forced labor from Native Americans.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American ancestry in Spanish America, a major social group in colonial society.

Battle of Acoma

Conflict in 1599 between Spanish conquistadors and the Acoma Pueblo, resulting in brutal Spanish victories.

Pueblo Revolt

Uprising of Pueblo Indians in New Mexico against Spanish suppression in 1680; expelled the Spanish for over a decade.

Black Legend

The belief that the Spanish brought only death, disease, and cruelty to the Americas, emphasizing their mistreatment of Natives.

Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain

The Catholic monarchs who united Spain and financed Columbus’s voyage in 1492.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and is often credited with 'discovering' the New World in 1492.

Francisco Coronado

Spanish conquistador who explored the American Southwest in the 1540s looking for the 'Seven Cities of Gold.'

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru in the 1530s.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish priest who opposed the mistreatment of Native Americans and advocated for their rights.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire between 1519 and 1521, capturing Tenochtitlán.

Moctezuma (Montezuma II)

The last Aztec emperor, initially welcomed the Spanish but was later killed during the conquest.

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)

Italian explorer who claimed land in present-day Canada for England in 1497.

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who claimed the Mississippi Valley and Louisiana territory for France in the 1680s.

Father Junípero Serra

Spanish missionary who founded the first California missions starting in 1769.