HIS 11A Final

Confraternity

Catholic brotherhoods that served as vital centers for community, mutual aid, and religious life

Maroons

Self-liberated Africans who escaped slavery in Colonial Latin America to form independent, autonomous settlements

Calidad

Foundational, highly fluid system of social classification used by the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Complex social construct determined by a person's race, wealth, occupation, place of origin, and honor

Bruja

Term used by Spanish authorities to demonize a rich synthesis of Indigenous, African, and European spiritual beliefs

Presidios

Fortified military settlements established by the Spanish Empire to secure newly claimed territories, protect Catholic missions, and defend against rival European powers, pirates, and indigenous groups

Reduction

Forced relocation and concentration of Indigenous populations into planned, European-style urban settlements

Jesuits

Became the most powerful and influential religious order in the colonies. They fundamentally shaped the region through missionary work, expansive economic networks, and extensive educational systems

Quinto del rey

20% tax levied by the Spanish and Portuguese crowns on all precious metals, gems, and war loot extracted from their colonies in Latin America

Camino real

A vast network of vital trade and communication routes established by the Spanish Empire in Latin America to connect colonial capitals with vital mining centers, ports, and frontiers

Túpac Amaru

The first was the last indigenous Sapa Inca of the Neo-Inca State. The second was his descendant, an indigenous revolutionary who led the largest uprising in Spanish colonial history

Asiento

Monopolistic license issued by the Spanish Crown permitting merchants to supply enslaved Africans to its colonies in Latin America

Churrigueresque

Ultra-ornate Spanish Baroque architectural style named after the _______ family of architects. It was characterized by lavishly sculpted facades, twisted Solomonic columns.

Cochineal

Cochineal was a tiny, parasitic scale insect native to the Americas that produced the world’s most vibrant and coveted natural red dye. It became a major cash crop, trailing only silver in export value

Monjas coronadas

Lavish paintings commemorated two monumental transitions in a nun’s life: her solemn profession (taking final vows) and her death

The Bourbon Reforms

Series of political and economic policies implemented by the Spanish Crown during the 18th century. Sweeping changes aimed to modernize the empire, maximize tax revenue, and strip power from local elites, ultimately laying the groundwork for Latin American independence movements

Creole

People of European descent born in the Americas. Though wealthy and educated, they faced systemic discrimination from the Spanish Crown, which favored European-born elites.

Miscegenation

A fundamental demographic, cultural, and social process driven by the vast gender imbalance among early Spanish and Portuguese colonizers. Intermixing between Europeans, indigenous Amerindians, and enslaved Africans created a complex, fluid society governed by a racial caste system

Sumptuary Laws

Strict legal codes used by the Spanish and Portuguese crowns to regulate consumption. Designed to enforce the casta system, these laws dictated who could wear specific fabrics or carry weapons based on their racial categorization and social standing

Limpieza de sangre

Purity of blood in English, was a historical doctrine from the 15th-century Spanish and Portuguese empires. It divided society into rigid genealogical hierarchies based on ancestry and religious heritage, profoundly shaping the social and legal structure of colonial Latin America

Pulquerias

Are traditional Mexican taverns or bars that serve pulque, a thick, milky, and slightly alcoholic fermented beverage made from the sap of the maguey (agave) plant

Sor Juana

Mexican nun and scholar. Celebrated as the "Tenth Muse," she is widely regarded as colonial Latin America’s greatest writer and the first published feminist of the Americas

Hacienda

A vast landed estate established by Spanish colonizers. Emerging in the 16th century, these estates were designed to control agricultural and livestock production, forming the backbone of the region's rural economy and social hierarchy

Seven Years’ War

Anglo-Spanish War and the resulting 1763 Treaty of Paris. Spain's entry into the conflict on the side of France led to devastating British naval strikes, most notably the seizure of Havana, Cuba, and Manila, Philippines

Potosí

Located in the Bolivian Andes, was the economic engine of the Spanish Empire and a cornerstone of early global capitalism. Produced massive amounts of silver that funded Spanish conquests, connected global markets, and caused rapid urbanization

Casta paintings

Visually categorized the complex racial mixing (mestizaje) of Spaniards, Indigenous peoples, and Africans. Usually created in sets of 16, they served as both scientific taxonomies and exotic spectacles for European elites

Manila Galleon

Spanish trade route that linked Manila in the Philippines to Acapulco, Mexico. Established one of the world's first global economic networks. Galleons shipped Asian luxury goods to Latin America, returning to Asia with vast amounts of Mexican and Peruvian silver

José María Morelos

Revolutionary Catholic priest and military leader who assumed command of the Mexican War of Independence following the 1811 execution of Miguel Hidalgo. He led highly successful insurgent campaigns in southern Mexico and drafted Sentiments of the Nation in 1813