Pangaea
Supercontinent that started breaking apart 225 million years ago.
Canadian Shield
Landmass shaping North America 10 million years ago.
Great Ice Age
Ice age occurring 2 million years ago.
Bering Isthmus
Land bridge connecting Asia and North America 35,000 years ago.
Columbus
Explorer who reached America in 1492.
Aztecs
Dense population in Mexico during early American history.
Caravel
Ship allowing Europeans to reach Africa in 1450.
Encomienda
Spanish system enslaving Indians for Christianization.
Treaty of Tordesillas
Division of the Americas between Spain and Portugal in the 1500s.
Columbian Exchange
Global commerce increase post-Columbus's arrival.
Mestizos
Offspring of conquistadores and Indian women in Latin America.
Pope's Rebellion
Native American uprising in New Mexico against Spanish in 1680.
Black Legend
Concept criticizing Spanish actions in the New World.
Corn
Staple crop developed in highland Mexico around 5,000 B.C.
Mississippian settlement
Height reached at Cahokia around 1,100 A.D.
Marco Polo
Explorer who returned to Europe in 1295.
Magellan
Explorer whose vessel circumnavigated the world in 1522.
Cortes
Conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain in 1519-1521.
Pizarro
Conquistador who crushed the Incas in 1532.
De Soto
Explorer who discovered the Mississippi River in 1539-1542.
Cabrillo
Explorer who journeyed along the California coast for Spain in 1542.
Onate
Spanish conqueror of pueblo peoples in Rio Grande valley 1598-1609.
La Salle
French explorer who ventured down the Mississippi River in the late 1680s.
Serra
Established the first California mission in San Diego in 1769.