Horticulture
A form of agriculture in which people work small plots of land with simple tools
Aztecs
Spanish term for the Mexica, an indigenous people who built an empire in present-day Mexico in the centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards
Maya
People who established large cities on the Yucatan peninsula with strong irrigation and agricultural techniques. The Maya civilization was strongest between 300 and 800 CE
Incas
Andean people who built an empire in the centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards amid the fertile land of the Andes Mountains. Reaching the height of their power in the fifteenth century, the Incas controlled some sixteen million people
Pueblo
American Indian peoples who lived in present-day New Mexico and Arizona and built permanent multi-story adobe dwellings
What similarities do you see between the Aztec, Incan, and Mayan civilizations, and what differences do you note between them?
All three civilizations were technologically advanced, had large urban centers, highly ritualized religions, and complex political systems, as well as elaborate irrigation systems. However, the Aztecs and the Incas had more in common, with both being built off of earlier civilizations and had vast trading networks. Both empires thrived well into the fifteenth century, while the Maya declined c. 800 CE. The Inca also resided in the Andes Mountains, far above sea level, and controlled a much larger empire than the Aztecs or the Maya.
How did the societies of North America differ from those of the equatorial region and the Andes Mountain region?
Societies in North America were often much smaller due to smaller populations in North America, as well as some societies needed to be small and widely scattered to survive. Although some societies were able to become more complex, such as the Pueblo and Mississippian groups, they were never to the same extent as their southern empires. Societies in North America also continued hunting and gathering, despite many of which cultivated crops.
Renaissance
The cultural and intellectual flowering that began in fifteenth century Italy and then spread north throughout the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. During this time, European rulers pushed for greater political unification of their states
Missionaries
People who travel to foreign land with the goal of converting those they meet and interact with to a new religion
Caravel
A small and swift sailing ship invented by the Portuguese during the fifteenth century
Astrolabe
A tool invented by Greek astronomers and sailors for navigation or astrological problems
Inquisition
A religious judicial institution designed to find and eliminate beliefs that did not align with official Catholic practices. The Spanish Inquisition was first established in 1478
What historical factors during the fifteenth century caused Europeans to establish trade with other continents?
During the Renaissance, states became more politically unified and the continent as a whole became more stabilized. Because of the newfound prosperity, many desired Asian manufactured goods, as well as spices from India and China.
In what ways were the motivations for the Spanish and the Portuguese overseas exploration similar? In what ways did they differ?
Italy's control of important trade routes through the Mediterranean and Muslim control of eastward trade routes (to India and China) is what led to Portuguese and Spanish maritime exploration. The desire to spread religion was also a factor (Spain=Catholicism).
How did religious, economic, and political factors shape Portuguese and Spanish claims on the land of Central and South America?
With Italy controlling the Mediterranean and the Portuguese dominated routes around Africa, the Spanish wanted a third route to Eastern trade, thus sending Christopher Columbus. With many riches being found, the Spanish monarchy claimed the new lands as theirs. However, the Catholic Portuguese protest their claims, leading to the Treaty of Tordesillas which gave Portugal Brazil and Spain the rest of South America. Many saw this as an opportunity to spread their religion to the natives there as well.
Atlantic World
The interactions between the peoples from the lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean (Africa, the Americas, and Western Europe) beginning in the late fifteenth century
Colombian Exchange
The biological exchange between the Americas and the rest of the world between 1492 and the end of the sixteenth century. Although its initial impact was strongest in the Americans and Europe, it was soon felt globally
Feudalism
A social and economic system organized by a hierarchy of hereditary classes. Lower social orders owed loyalty to the social classes above them and, in return, received protection and/or land
Capitalism
An economic system based on private ownership of property and the open exchange of goods between property holders
Aristocratic
Members of the highest class of society, typically nobility who inherited their ranks and titles
What were both the short-term consequences of Columbus's voyages in both Europe and the Americas? And how did the Colombian Exchange transform both the Americas and Europe?
The short term consequences for Columbus's voyages was the introduction of new plants, animals, and diseases to the Western Hemisphere, which wiped out a significant part of native populations. Shortly after Europeans began conquering American lands, American goods were used for trading back in Europe. The Colombian Exchange ultimately changed both hemispheres by creating a more nutrient dense diet in the Eastern Hemisphere, altering of native landscapes and diets, as well as the introduction of enslaved Africans to the Americas. Colonialism and slavery overall transformed European economies, which ended feudalism and began the rise of capitalism.
How and why did europeans expand their connections with Africa and the Middle East in the fifteenth century? How did early European encounters with West Africans influence Europeans' ideas about African peoples and reshape existing systems of slavery?
Europeans expanded their connections to Africa and the Middle East to access bigger trading networks, most notably in West Africa where they traded guns for enslaved Africans. This started negative views towards Africa as their cultural customs and social practices seemed strange and primitive to Europeans, failing to show the diverse peoples and cultures there.
Spanish Caste System
A system developed by the Spanish in the sixteenth century that defined that status that defined the status of diverse populations based on a racial hierarchy that privileged Europeans
Mission System
System established by the Spanish in 1573 in which missionaries, rather than soldiers, directed all new settlements in the Americas
What factors shaped Spanish colonial society in the Western Hemisphere?
Some of the factors that shaped the Spanish colonial society was allying with natives to take down the major empires of the Aztecs and the Incas, as well as diseases helping to weaken societies, making them easier to conquer.
What purpose did the Spanish caste system serve?
The reason for the creation of the Spanish caste system is for those of lower class to own those of upper class higher tax, tribute, and labor. Thus, the caste system was based off of ethnic ancestry, having Natives and Africans below the Spanish colonialists.
What consequences did Spain's acquisition of the American empire have in Europe?
The acquisition of the American empire caused the Spanish to debate between religious and material importance. Some believed that precious metals were more important, while others believed that converting native peoples to Christianity was crucial to Spanish success in the Americas.
In what ways did Spanish policy change toward native peoples in 1573 and what effects did these changes have on the Pueblo people?
In 1573, Spanish authorities decided that missionaries, rather than soldiers, should direct all new settlements. Some began founding missions in Pueblo villages, in which they were able to convert many of the Pueblo peoples to Catholicism. However, many retained their traditional beliefs and practices, some of which were found practicing in secret.