Lecture: Early Exploration and the Columbian Exchange (Video)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on early exploration, conquest, and the Columbian Exchange.

Pitch and tar

A sticky resin-based sealant used to waterproof and seal wooden ship beams, applied along the waterline.

Astrolabe

An ancient navigational instrument used to measure the altitude of celestial bodies to determine position at sea.

Compass

A device that uses Earth's magnetism to indicate magnetic north, aiding navigation.

Columbus

Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Bahamas in 1492, initiating sustained contact between Europe and the Americas.

The Bahamas

First lands encountered by Columbus in the Caribbean during his 1492 voyage.

Hispaniola

Island (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) site of early Spanish settlement after Columbus.

Cuba

Caribbean island visited by Columbus; part of early exploration routes.

Columbian Exchange

Widespread transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after 1492.

Aztec Empire

Powerful Mesoamerican empire centered in Tenochtitlan (Mexico); conquered by Cortés.

Inca Empire

Largest pre-Columbian empire in South America, located in the Andes; conquered by the Spanish.

Montezuma

Emperor of the Aztecs during Cortés’s conquest; killed during the fall of Tenochtitlan.

Cortés

Spanish conquistador who toppled the Aztec Empire and captured Mexico City.

Conquistadors

Spanish military explorers who conquered parts of the Americas and extracted wealth.

Smallpox

European-origin disease that devastated indigenous populations after contact.

Typhus

Infectious disease brought by Europeans contributing to population decline.

Measles

Disease introduced by Europeans that caused high mortality among indigenous peoples.

Slavery

System of forced labor; indigenous peoples and later Africans enslaved in the Americas.

Sugarcane plantation

Large estates using enslaved labor to produce sugar; brutal, high mortality work.

Tobacco

Americas-origin cash crop traded to Europe and other regions.

Sugar

Product from the sugarcane industry; a major export of Caribbean colonies.

Cocoa

Crop from the Americas used to make chocolate; became a European commodity.

Vanilla

Spice from the Americas traded globally; highly valued in European cuisine.

Potatoes

New World staple crop widely adopted in Europe and elsewhere.

Corn (Maize)

Staple crop from the Americas that became foundational in many diets worldwide.

Horses

Livestock introduced by Europeans to the Americas, transforming Indigenous mobility and warfare.