New Empires in the Americas Common Assessment

Columbian Exchange

the transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the "Old" World (Europe/Africa/Asia) and the "New" World (N + S. America)

conquistador

Spanish for "conqueror;" the term used for the Spanish colonizers and conquerors of the Americas

Encomienda System

A Spanish legal system wherein (stolen) land was granted to a colonist, who could then demand slave labor from Native Americans

Taino

the Native American people of the Caribbean islands - the first group encountered by Columbus and his men when they reached the Americas. The Taino died in huge numbers due to disease and violence, but many people in the Carribbean have some Taino ancestry.

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator who looked for a faster water route to Asia

Moctezuma II

Aztec emperor from 1502 to 1520; he was the emperor of the Aztecs when Cortés and his army conquered the empire. He was taken prisoner and killed during battle with the Spanish army.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs with help from other indigenous/Native people

Estevanico

African enslaved person who went on multiple expeditions in the Americas; he was the first Arab and first African to set foot in the American Southwest; he traveled more miles in the Americas than any other non-Native people until Lewis and Clark.

Cause of Columbus's Voyage

searching for a direct water route to Asia to speed up the spice trade

Disease

the Columbian Exchange brought diseases to the Americas than the natives had never before encountered, meaning they had no immunity: they died by the tens of millions.

Downfall of the Aztecs

Cortes allied with the Aztec's enemies and inadvertently carried disease which devastated the city

Malinche

aka Malintzin, an Aztec woman who was 'given' to Cortes as a slave. She was talented with languages and assisted him in his conquest of Tenochtitlan by serving as a linguistic and cultural translator

Spanish Conquest Effects

disease, violence, and enslavement led to the destruction of Native American cultures and civilizations

Bartolome de las Casas

Spanish explorer and priest who spoke out against the poor treatment of Native Americans