Unit 1.1 & 1.2 Vocab (APUSH)

Matrilineal

Tracing family descent or inheritance through the mother’s side of the family rather than the father’s.

Maize

Domesticated corn relied upon by Mesoamericans in what is now Mexico and Central America to develop the hemisphere’s first settled populations around 1200 BCE. Corn was calorically dense, easy to dry and store, and could sometimes be harvested twice in a year.

Puebloan groups

Indigenous peoples in the Southwest with whom the Spanish engaged—especially in New Mexico—often via mission systems that served as engines of colonization.

Mississippians

Indigenous civilization in the Eastern Woodlands, notably including Cahokia, characterized by settled agricultural communities, mound-building, and kinship-bound small communities.

Incas

Powerful empire in South America that, along with the Aztec Empire, provided vast wealth (especially silver and gold) that benefited Spain through colonization and enriched the Spanish monarchy.

Maya

Indigenous civilization in Central America known for building massive temples, developing a written language, advanced mathematics, and accurate calendars—though their civilization had already declined before European contact, likely due to drought and unsustainable agriculture.

Aztec

A dominant and powerful civilization in central and southern Mesoamerica centered at Tenochtitlán; an empire that was ultimately toppled by Spanish conquest through disease, dissension, and assault.

Caravel

A highly maneuverable sailing ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century, essential to European exploration.

Mercantilism

An economic theory and practice (dominant in Europe during the age of exploration) emphasizing the accumulation of monetary reserves through a positive balance of trade, particularly via colonies and controlled trade.

Encomienda

A Spanish colonial labor system granting settlers the right to extract indigenous labor and tribute in exchange for supposed protection and Christian instruction.

Peninsulares

Spaniards born in Spain residing in the Americas; they occupied the highest social and administrative positions in colonial society.

Criollos

Individuals of full Spanish descent born in the Americas. They ranked just below peninsulares in the colonial hierarchy and sometimes rivaled them in wealth and influence.

Mestizos

People of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage, occupying a middle tier in colonial caste systems beneath peninsulares and criollos.

Joint-stock company

A business structure (ancestors of modern corporations) allowing multiple investors to pool capital, share profits, and spread risks.

Privateer

A privately owned ship authorized by a government to attack and plunder enemy vessels.

Northwest Passage

A hypothesized direct sea route through North America to Asia. Europeans (notably the French and Dutch) sought it via routes like the St. Lawrence River, though it remained mythical.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of peoples, plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Old and New Worlds following Columbus’s voyages. It reshaped global societies—devastating indigenous populations and fueling European population growth.

Roanoke

Known as the “Lost Colony” in present-day North Carolina. Founded in 1587 by John White, its settlers vanished, leaving only the mysterious word “Croatoan” carved into a tree.

Métis

People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry (often in colonial Canada), particularly those born of French-Indigenous unions.