Latin American History Exam (slides)

Composite Monarchy 

A federation of kingdoms (e.g., Castile and Aragon) under one monarch but with separate laws and institutions.

Reconquista 

Centuries-long Christian campaigns to reclaim Iberia from Muslim rule, ending in 1492.

Spanish Inquisition (1478) 

Religious institution enforcing Catholic orthodoxy

Encomienda 

Grants of indigenous land and labor to conquistadors, leading to exploitation

Absolutism vs. Collaborative Government 

Monarchs ruled but relied on nobles and towns

Mesoamerica 

Cultural area with shared rituals, calendars, and agriculture.

Classical Period (200 BCE–900 CE)

Maya and Teotihuacán urbanism and writing.

Postclassic Period (900–1521 CE)

Militarism and Aztec hegemony.

Chinampas

Aztec floating gardens for agriculture.

Hegemonic Empire

Indirect Aztec rule through tribute.

Maya Writing

Logophonetic script with logograms and syllables.

Tawantinsuyu 

“Four Quarters” of the Inca Empire.

Ayllu

Communal kin group with shared land.

Mita

Rotational labor tax for state projects.

Sapa Inca

Divine ruler of the Inca Empire.

Cultural Imperialism

Promoting Quechua and Inti worship while tolerating local gods.

Archaeological Remains

Material evidence revealing structures.

Khipu

Inca knotted cords, possibly for record-keeping.

Codices

Mesoamerican pictorial manuscripts.

Spanish Chronicles

European written accounts with Western biases.

Malintzin (La Malinche)

Indigenous interpreter who enabled Spanish alliances.

Smallpox Epidemic (1520)

Devastated Aztec population.

Standard Procedures

Spanish legal and theatrical conquest methods.

Inca Civil War

Conflict between Atahualpa and Huascar.

New Laws (1542)

Crown reforms limiting encomenderos.

Vilcabamba 

Last Inca stronghold (fell in 1572).

Conquistadors

Private adventurers seeking wealth.

Incompleteness of Conquest

Many indigenous groups retained some autonomy.

Native Disunity

Rivalries exploited by Spaniards.

Columbian Exchange

Biological and cultural exchange between Old and New Worlds.

Environmental History 

Analyzing nature’s role in historical events.

Respiratory Pathogens

Diseases like smallpox, measles, influenza.

Virgin-Soil Hypothesis

High mortality in populations without immunity.

Epidemic Waves

Repeated disease outbreaks during conquest.

Ecological Consequences

Landscape transformations due to depopulation.

Mezquital Valley Case

Overgrazing by sheep causing environmental shifts.

Plantation Economy

Monoculture systems using enslaved labor.

Little Ice Age 

Period of global cooling (14th–19th centuries).

Resettlement Policies (Reducciones)

Forced indigenous relocations.

Mercantilism

Economic theory centered on accumulating silver and gold.

Mining (Silver)

Backbone of colonial wealth using mercury amalgamation.

Agriculture: Haciendas

Large estates from land grants.

Trade 

Regulated fleets, Manila galleons, smuggling.

Price Revolution

European inflation from American silver.

Corporatism and Hierarchy

Society organized as interdependent groups.

Peninsulares/Creoles

Spanish-born and American-born elites.

República de Indios

Indigenous communities with semi-autonomous structures.

Mestizos

Mixed ancestry groups with flexible status.

Blacks/Mulattoes

 Enslaved Africans and mixed descendants.

Casta System

Fluid racial hierarchy; could be negotiated.

Gracias al Sacar

Legal mechanism to “purchase” whiteness.