New World & Latin America – Key Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing major geographic, historical, and cultural terms from the lecture on the Americas and their colonial legacies.

New World

the americas

Old World

Africa, Europe, and Asia

Western Hemisphere

Eurocentric term for North and South America

Eastern Hemisphere

eurocentric term for Africa, Europe, and Asia

Smallpox

Old World disease that decimated Native American populations

Mestizo

Person of European and Native American ancestry.

Mulatto

Person of European and African ancestry.

Aztec Empire

Native American empire in central Mexico; conquered by Spaniards in 16th century.

Inca Empire

Native American empire in Andes Mountains; conquered by Spaniards

Latin America

Region of Americas where Romance languages ( Spanish and Portuguese) dominate.

Mesoamerica

Middle America; major center of pre-Columbian civilizations

Mayan Civilization

Mesoamerican civilization; known for city-states like Tikal in Yucatan rainforest.

Amazon River

World’s largest river; flows from Andes to the Atlantic

Andes Mountains

mountain range along South America’s Pacific side; backbone of continent and heartland of Inca civilization.

Tierra del Fuego

Archipelago off southern tip of South America; separated by Strait of Magellan.

Strait of Magellan

Navigable sea route at South America’s southern tip

Patagonia

Semi-arid plateau region of Argentina.

Pampas

Extensive grasslands in Argentina and Uruguay; cattle ranching and Gauchos.

Gauchos

South American cowboys associated with the Pampas.

Simón Bolívar

Revolutionary leader who sought to unite former Spanish colonies in South America after independence

Panama Canal

Man-made waterway through the Isthmus of Panama linking Atlantic and Pacific; 1914.

Canal Zone

Area surrounding the Panama Canal administered by United States until 1979; Panama gained full control in 1999.

New Imperialism (Colonial Legacy)

Continuation of European and U.S. colonial influence in territories under foreign control in the Western Hemisphere.

French Guiana

Overseas territory of France on South America’s northern coast.

Falkland Islands

British-administered islands in South Atlantic; subject of territorial dispute with Argentina.

Falklands War (1982)

Short conflict between Britain and Argentina over control of the Falkland Islands