Chapter 1 A New World

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on the First Americans and the European exploration and conquest of the Americas.

Tenochtitlán

The capital of the Aztec empire, located at present-day Mexico City; a major urban center with a grand temple, royal palace, and central market.

Aztec

A powerful Mesoamerican empire centered in Tenochtitlán that dominated central Mexico before the arrival of Europeans.

Great League of Peace

The alliance of five Iroquois nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga) that maintained stability in the Northeast.

caravel

A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed by the Portuguese, enabling long-distance Atlantic exploration.

reconquista

The Christian conquest and unification of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, completed in 1492.

conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who led military campaigns in the Americas, often aided by firearms and disease.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas and the Old World after 1492.

creoles

People of European descent born in the Americas.

hacienda

A large estate or plantation in Spanish America used for farming or ranching, often employing coerced labor.

mestizos

People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in Spanish America.

Ninety-Five Theses

Martin Luther’s 1517 complaints against the Catholic Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Dominican priest who condemned the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples and advocated for their rights; author of A Very Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies.

repartimiento

A labor system in Spanish America where Indians were paid wages but required to perform fixed labor, replacing the encomienda.

Black Legend

The historiographical idea that Spain was uniquely cruel in its colonization, used to justify other powers.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians in New Mexico against Spanish rule, temporarily expelling settlers.

indentured servants

Workers who signed contracts to serve for a set period in exchange for passage and maintenance.

métis

People of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry, especially in New France; often served as intermediaries.

borderland

A frontier zone where Europeans and Indigenous peoples met, exchanged, and formed hybrid cultures.

Poverty Point

An ancient mound-building center along the Mississippi River; ca. 3,500 years ago, a commercial and governmental hub with long-distance trade.

Cahokia

Mississippi River valley’s largest pre-Columbian urban center (10,000–30,000 inhabitants around 1200).

Pueblo Bonito

A major archaeological site in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico; a large multi-room complex with kivas.