Spanish Colonisation of the Americas (New World)

Flashcards about Spanish Colonisation of the Americas (New World)

Christopher Columbus

Explorer who discovered Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic) and Cuba while seeking gold.

Conquistadors

Spanish nobles, knights, soldiers, and explorers who conquered territories in the Americas.

Hernan Cortes

Conquistador who attacked and destroyed the Aztec civilization in Mexico.

Aztecs

Indigenous people of Mexico who were defeated by Cortes; their capital was Tenochititlan and their king was Montezuma.

Francisco Pizarro

Conquistador who destroyed the Inca civilization in Peru and captured their capital, Cuzco.

Incas

Indigenous people of Peru who were defeated by Pizarro; their king was Atahualpa.

Encomienda system

System created by the Spanish to regulate labor and behavior of the indigenous population in the Americas.

Acculturation

The dilution of Native American customs, practices, and traditions due to the influence of missionaries and mission stations.

Columbian Exchange

A centuries-long process of intentional and unintentional exchange of people, animals, plants, trade goods, and organisms between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, beginning in 1492.

Ecological Imperialism

A term introduced by Alfred Crosby to explain how the flora and fauna of the Americas took on an increasingly European appearance, displacing native species.

Mercantilism

An economic system in which colonies exist for the benefit of the colonial power, providing raw materials to increase the wealth of the colonizers.