Conquest of the Americas and the Price Revolution

This set covers the key figures of the Spanish conquest (Valdivia, Cortés, Pizarro, Balboa), specific historical dates and locations, and the long-term economic impact known as the Price Revolution.

Carlos I de España

The Spanish king in whose name Pedro de Valdivia intended to found the city and the governorate of Nueva Extremadura.

Nueva Extremadura

The name of the governorate Pedro de Valdivia planned to establish in South America.

Huelén

The name of the hill located near a small island between two arms of a river that was initially ceded to the Spanish by indigenous leaders.

Pedro de Valdivia

A leader of the Spanish conquest who founded Santiago but faced instability, conspiracies, and a lack of absolute authority within his own army.

Mapocho Valley

The location where Pedro de Valdivia arrived on Monday, December $13$, $1540$, after crossing the Atacama Desert.

Picunches

The indigenous group inhabiting the Mapocho area that initially began to establish relations with Valdivia's forces.

Santiago de Nueva Extremadura

The city officially founded by Valdivia on Wednesday, February $12$, $1541$, named in honor of the patron saint of Spain.

Guerra de Arauco

The military campaigns that began after Valdivia traveled south from Santiago a few months after its foundation.

Michimalonco

The indigenous leader whose forces attacked and leveled the city of Santiago on Sunday, September $11$, $1541$.

Hernán Cortés

A conquistador who initially viewed indigenous people as inferior but shifted his perspective after recognizing the cultural and political complexity of the Aztecs.

Aztecs

The society in Mexico described as having advanced cities, political systems, and cultural sophistication, which changed Cortés' strategic approach to conquest.

Encomienda

A system of labor and control in which Cortés introduced regulations to limit abuse, reflecting his goal of transforming rather than just destroying indigenous society.

Francisco Pizarro

The conquistador who led the conquest of the Inca Empire during the $1530$s and founded the city of Lima in $1535$.

Atahualpa

The Inca sovereign encountered in Cajamarca in $1532$; he offered gold and silver for his release but was ultimately executed by Pizarro.

Cajamarca

The location where Pizarro used surprise tactics and superior weaponry to capture the emperor Atahualpa despite being outnumbered.

Diego de Almagro

A former ally of Pizarro whose rivalry over power and territory led to violent internal conflicts and the eventual assassination of Pizarro in $1541$.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

The conquistador of modest origins who established Santa María la antigua del Darién and discovered the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean

Discovered by Balboa in $1513$ after crossing the Isthmus of Panama, confirming that the New World was not Asia.

Pedrerías de Vila

The designated official whose arrival led to internal tensions and the eventual execution of Vasco Núñez de Balboa in $1519$.

Price Revolution

An economic phenomenon of massive inflation caused by the sudden influx of American gold and silver into Spain, where wealth circulation outpaced the production of goods.

Real Wages

The purchasing power of workers, which the transcript notes fell for peasants and artisans during the Price Revolution as the cost of essential goods rose.

Spanish Inflation Factors

The imbalance where more money chased the same amount of products, exacerbated by the lack of investment in local agriculture, industry, or technology.