Early Latin America Vocab

Question 1

Latin American empires

Answer 1

Spain and Portugal’s colonies in the New World

Question 2

indigenous cultures

Answer 2

Native American societies in Latin America

Question 3

dependent region

Answer 3

Latin America’s economic reliance on other countries

Question 4

European invaders

Answer 4

Spanish and Portuguese conquerors in Latin America

Question 5

mixture of cultures

Answer 5

Blend of European, African, and Indian influences in Latin America

Question 6

Indian civilization

Answer 6

Native American societies that survived and influenced later societies

Question 7

economic gain

Answer 7

Desire for wealth and social mobility among Europeans in Latin America

Question 8

coerced laborers

Answer 8

Forced workers, including slaves, used in plantations and mines

Question 9

Spaniards and Portuguese

Answer 9

People from Spain and Portugal who colonized Latin America

Question 10

Reconquest to Conquest

Answer 10

Transition from the reconquest of Iberian Peninsula to the conquest of the New World

Question 11

Iberian societies

Answer 11

Societies from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

Question 12

urban and peasant life

Answer 12

Contrast between city-dwelling and rural populations

Question 13

encomiendas

Answer 13

Grants of land and labor from the Spanish crown to conquerors

Question 14

slavery

Answer 14

Institution of forced labor in the New World

Question 15

political centralization

Answer 15

Concentration of power in the hands of a central government

Question 16

Catholic church

Answer 16

Religious institution closely linked to the state in Spain and Portugal

Question 17

slave trade

Answer 17

Business of buying and selling enslaved Africans

Question 18

Chronology of Conquest

Answer 18

Three distinct periods of European control in the New World

Question 19

Caribbean experience

Answer 19

Spanish colonization of the Caribbean islands as a model for Latin America

Question 20

Indian laborers

Answer 20

Native Americans used as workers in Spanish colonies

Question 21

Iberian-style cities

Answer 21

Cities in the New World modeled after Spanish cities

Question 22

administrative structure

Answer 22

System of government and bureaucracy in Spanish colonies

Question 23

church influence

Answer 23

Impact of the Catholic church on politics and society in Spanish colonies

Question 24

Spanish women and African slaves

Answer 24

Groups of people who joined the Spanish in the New World

Question 25

ranches and sugar plantations

Answer 25

sugar plantations Types of agricultural enterprises in the New World

Question 26

Bartolomé de las Casas

Answer 26

Dominican friar who advocated for the rights of Native Americans

Question 27

Paths of Conquest

Answer 27

Individual initiatives that led to the conquest of Latin America

Question 28

Hernán Cortés

Answer 28

Spanish conquistador who led the expedition to Mexico

Question 29

Aztecs

Answer 29

Native American civilization in Mexico conquered by Cortés

Question 30

Francisco Pizarro

Answer 30

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru

Question 31

Cuzco

Answer 31

Capital of the Inca Empire, captured by Pizarro

Question 32

Spanish expeditions

Answer 32

Exploratory missions that expanded the borders of Spanish colonies

Question 33

Spanish urban settlements

Answer 33

Cities and towns established by the Spanish in the Americas

Question 34

conquerors

Answer 34

Spanish individuals who participated in the conquest of the New World

Question 35

conquest and morality

Answer 35

Ethical questions raised by the Spanish conquest and treatment of Native Americans

Question 36

demographic catastrophe

Answer 36

Drastic decline in population due to disease, war, and mistreatment

Question 37

Indian institutions

Answer 37

Social and political structures of Native American societies

Question 38

enslavement and encomiendas

Answer 38

Forced labor and land grants used by the Spanish in the New World

Question 39

Indian culture

Answer 39

Traditional customs and practices of Native American societies

Question 40

Portuguese arrival in Brazil

Answer 40

Colonization of Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century

Question 41

sugar plantations

Answer 41

Large-scale agricultural estates in Brazil that produced sugar

Question 42

royal governor

Answer 42

Official appointed by the Portuguese crown to govern Brazil

Question 43

Jesuit missionaries

Answer 43

Members of the Jesuit order who spread Christianity in Brazil

Question 44

sugar and slavery

Answer 44

Economic reliance on sugar production and the use of African slaves

Question 45

gold rush

Answer 45

Discovery of gold in Brazil that led to a population boom

Question 46

mines and administration

Answer 46

Gold mines and government structures in Brazil

Question 47

Pombal of Brazil

Answer 47

Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese statesman who implemented reforms in Brazil

Question 48

marriage and population growth

Answer 48

Encouragement of mixed marriages to increase population

Question 49

reforms and trade

Answer 49

Changes in policies and regulations to stimulate the economy

Question 50

reforms, reactions, and revolts

Answer 50

Responses to the reforms implemented in Latin America

Question 51

multiethnic societies

Answer 51

Societies in Latin America with a mix of different ethnic groups

Question 52

societal development

Answer 52

Progress and changes in society

Question 53

miscegenation

Answer 53

Intermixing of different racial and ethnic groups

Question 54

Castas

Answer 54

Social categories based on race and place of birth

Question 55

peninsulares and creoles

Answer 55

Spanish-born whites and whites born in the New World

Question 56

patriarchal society

Answer 56

Society in which men hold primary power and authority