History Midterm

1492

• The time period in which the americas were discovered by columbus 

• At this time the reconquista was also completed with the fall of Grenada

Hispanocentric

history focused on the perspective of the spanish/of the spain

Mexica

people of the aztec empire: dominant cultural group

Mythistory

• history that has been mythologized 

• Introduced to this class by the 7 myths of the conquest by matthew restall

• Not fictional history but rather something that has been turned legendary 

• Process of history becoming mythologized to the point at which it becomes hard to distinguish between fact and fiction

Nahua

another dominant cultural group of the Aztec empire

Tlaxcala

• one of the indigenous city states that forms alliance with cortes against aztec empire because they are not part of the aztec triple alliance 

• Tlaxcala is enemy of the aztec 

• Tlaxcala lead the spanish along a really long pathway so that the spanish could fight battles against their own enemies

Holy Inquisition

•  institution formed by catholic church intended to rule out blasphemy and heresy against the catholic church

• Legal system run by the church 

• Relates to this class because it was set up by the spanish king and queen to control the recently converted people, muslim and jews 

• Took place after the reconquista

Viceroy

• vice referring to assistant next to the king, roy refers to like king 

• Second highest ranking official to the king 

• The title that Columbus wants to claim for having found the Indies 

• Early forms of colonial power

Malintzin

• The translator for cortes who spoke nahuatal, spanish, and mayan

• Given to cortes as a gift when she was 13 by the mexicans at vera cruz the indigenous community 

• Had his child

African conquistadors 

• Some exceptional ones were like juan valiente who received an encomienda and some were granted their freedom find other examples

• Not all conquistadors were Spanish they came as slaves to fight in the conquest

• After conquest some of them continued to be enslaved

• Most conquistadors were valued during the conquest but only if they continued to live in marginalized parts of the new colonial settlements of the spanish

Atahualpa

• Captured by pizarro 

• Weakens inca empire and creates a power vacuum

• The spanish exploited the conflict between him and his brother huascar

Aztec triple alliance

Tlacopan, texcoco, and tenochtitlan

Hernando cortes

• Head of expedition to medico 

• arrive s in mexico but his ships don't survive

• Mexico is his earliest conquest 

• Montezuma meets cortes 

• New Spain formed

Iberia

• Aka al andalus ruled by the umayyad caliphate 

• Islamic influence

• Christians kingdoms rose from the north

Tenochtitlan

• Most powerful in the aztec triple alliance

• Advanced causeways, canals, and floating gardens 

The catholic monarchs

• Queen isabella and ferdinand of what would become spain

• Isabella sponsored columbus 

• Finish the reconquista with the fall of Grenada in 1492

The reconquista

• The reconquering of spain from islamic influence and what isabella started to convert the kingdoms to catholicism 

• End marked by reconquer of grenada

Defining features of pre-colonial Mesoamerica

1. Monumental architecture

   1. Palaces, pyramids

2. Ball courts

   1. Stone padding, stone rubber ball needs to be thrown into hoop w/o hands 

   2. Served as religious and entertainment purpose 

   3. Did not lead to human sacrifice

3. Specialized markets 

   1. Dedicated to a certain type of good (feathers, etc)

4. Material significance 

   1. Materials matter of their importance to the outerworld 

   2. Obsidian leadst o volcanic glass linked to god of fire 

   3. blue/green associated with gods of rain/water

5. Diets based on the three sisters

   1. maize, squash, and beans

6. Cardinal directions and duality 

   1. N, S, W, and E

   2. Duality are things that are paired like night/day, land/sea, etc 

7. Complex pantheistic religious

   1. Multiple gods in the pantheon, many gods with many functions

8. Sacrificial ritual

   1. Giving something/someone up

9. Astronomy

   1. Study of stars/planets 

   2. Calendar system to develop dates of the past 

   3. Buildings would be aligned w/ sun/moon

10. Complex writing system

    1. Glyphs some represent by big images or small or some were just syllables 

Causes of the fall of Aztec Tenochtitlan

1. Disease

2. Power vacuum

3. Advanced military technology 

4. The spanish are welcomed in with open arms because montezuma wanted to capture the spanish for his zoo