European Exploration in the Early Modern Period:

The World Shrinks(1450-1750)

Unit Essential Question: How do exploration and conquest effect the development of culture?Textbook Chapter 12: The Americas on the Eve of Invasion (pages 265-285)Textbook Chapter 16: The World in 1450: Changing Balance of World Power (pages 361-365)Textbook Chapter 17: The World Economy (384-403)

Textbook Chapter 19: Early Latin America (pages 425-451) Textbook Chapter 20: Africa and the Africans in the Age of the Atlantic Slave Trade (pages 453-477)

World Themes: Theme 1: Interaction between

humans and the environment Theme 2: Development and

interaction of cultures Theme 3: State-building, expansion,

and conflict

Theme 4: Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems

Theme 5: Development and transformation of social structures

Historical Reasoning Skills targeted in Unit: Comparison: Compare diverse perspectives; compare different historical individuals,

events, developments, and/or processes analyzing broader similarities and differences. Continuity and Change Over Time: Identify patterns of continuity and change, explain

the significance of such patterns, and explain how these patterns relate to larger historical processes or themes.

Chapter 12:1. Ayllus: Households in Andean societies that recognized some form of kinship; traced descent from

some common, sometimes mythical ancestor. 2. Chinampas: Beds of aquatic weeds, mud, and earth placed in frames made of cane and rooted in

lakes to create “floating islands”; system of irrigated agriculture utilized by Aztecs. 3. Huitzilopochtli: Aztec tribal patron god; central figure of cult of human sacrifice and warfare;

identified with old sun god. 4. Indians: Misnomer created by Columbus referring to indigenous peoples of New World; implies social

and ethnic commonality among Native Americans that did not exist; still used to apply to Native Americans.

5. Mita: Labor extracted for lands assigned to the state and the religion; all communities were expected to contribute; an essential aspect of Inca imperial control.

6. Quetzalcoatl: Toltec deity; Feathered Serpent; adopted by Aztecs as a major god. 7. Quipu: System of knotted strings utilized by the Incas in place of a writing system; could contain

numerical and other types of information for censuses and financial records. 8. Pachacuti: Ruler of Inca society from 1438 to 1471; launched a series of military campaigns that gave

Incas control of the region from Cuzco to the shores of Lake Titicaca. 9. Pochteca: Special merchant class in Aztec society; specialized in long-distance trade in luxury items. 10. Split Inheritance: Inca practice of descent; all titles and political power went to successor, but wealth

and land remained in hands of male descendants for support of cult of dead Inca’s mummy. 11. Tambos: Way stations used by Incas as inns and storehouses; supply centers for Inca armies on the

move; relay points for system of runners used to carry messages. 12. Temple of the Sun: Inca religious center located at Cuzco; center of state religion held mummies of

past Incas. 13. Tenochtitlan: Founded c. 1325 on marshy island in Lake Texcoco; became center of Aztec power;

joined with Tlacopan and Texcoco in 1434 to form a triple alliance that controlled most of central plateau of Mesoamerica.

14. Toltec culture: Succeeded Teotihuacan culture in central Mexico; strongly militaristic ethic including human sacrifice; influenced large territory after 1000 CE; declined after 1200 CE.

Chapters 16 and 17:15. Balboa, Vasco de (c. 1475-1519) First Spanish captain to begin settlement on the mainland of

Mesoamerica in 1509; initial settlement eventually led to conquest of Aztec and Inca empires by other captains.

16. Boers: Dutch settlers in Cape Colony, in souther Africa.17. British East India Company: Joint stock company that obtained government monopoly over trade in

India; acted as virtually independent government in regions it claimed. 18. Calcutta: Headquarters of British East India Company in Bengal in Indian subcontinent; located on

Ganges; captured in 1756 during early part of Seven Years War; later became administrative center for all of Bengal.

19. Cape Colony: Dutch colony established at Cape of Good Hope in 1652 initially to provide a coastal station for the Dutch seaborne empire; by 1770 settlements had expanded sufficiently to come into conflict with Bantus.

20. Cape of Good Hope: Southern tip of Africa; first circumnavigated in 1488 by Portuguese in search of direct route to India.

21. Castile and Aragon: Regional kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula; pressed reconquest of peninsula from Muslims and ultimately united under the Spanish monarchy.

22. Columbus, Christopher: Genoese captain in service of king and queen of Castile and Aragon; successfully sailed to New World and returned in 1492; initiated European discoveries in America.

23. Da Gama, Vasco: Portuguese captain who sailed for India in 1497; established early Portuguese dominance in Indian Ocean.

24. Dutch East India Company: Joint stock company that obtained government monopoly over trade in Asia; acted as virtually independent government in region it claimed.

25. Henry the Navigator: Portuguese prince responsible for direction of series of expeditions along the African coast in the 15th century; marked beginning of western European expansion.

26. Magellan, Ferdinand: (1480-1521) Spanish captain who in 1519 initiated first circumnavigation of the globe; died during the voyage; allowed Spain to claim Philippines.

27. Mercantilism: Economic theory that stressed governments promotion of limitation of imports from other nations and internal economies in order to improve tax revenues; popular during 17th and 18th centuries in Europe.

28. Mestizoes: People of mixed European and Indian ancestry in Mesoamerica and South America; particularly prevalent in areas colonized by Spain; often part of forced labor systems.

29. New France: French colonies in North America; extended from St. Lawrence River along Great Lakes and down Mississippi River valley system.

30. Pizzaro, Francisco: Led conquest of Inca Empire of Peru beginning in 1545; by 1540, most of Inca possessions fell to the Spanish.

31. Seven Years War: Fought both in continental Europe and also in overseas colonies between 1756 and 1763; resulted in Prussian seizures of land from Austria, English seizures of colonies in India and North America. Known in America as the “French and Indian War.”

32. Treaty of Paris: Arranged in 1763 following Seven Years War; granted New France to England in exchange for return of French sugar islands in Caribbean.

33. Vivaldis: Two Genoese brothers who attempted to find a western route to the “Indies”; disappeared in 1291; precursors of thrust into southern Atlantic.

34. World economy: Established by Europeans by the 16th century: based on control of seas, including the Atlantic and Pacific; created international exchange of foods, diseases, and manufactured products.

Chapters 19 and 20:35. Amaru, Tupac II (1738-1781) Mestizo leader of Indian revolt in Peru; supported by many among lower

social classes; revolt eventually failed because of Creole fears of real social revolution. 36. Asante empire: Established in Gold Coast among Akan people; their cooperation and their access to

firearms after 1650 initiated a period of centralization and expansion. 37. Captaincies: Strips of land along Brazilian coast granted to minor Portuguese nobles for development;

enjoyed limited success in developing colony. 38. Caribbean: First area of Spanish exploration and settlement; served as experimental region for nature

of Spanish colonial experience; encomienda system of colonial management initiated here.39. Consulado: Merchant guild of Seville; enjoyed virtual monopoly rights over goods shipped to America

and handled much of the silver received in return. 40. Coronado, Francisco Vazquez de (c. 1510-1554) Leader of Spanish expedition into northern frontier

region of New Spain; entered what is now United States in search of mythical cities of gold. 41. Cortes, Hernan: Led expedition of 600 to coast of Mexico in 1519; conquistador responsible for defeat

of Aztec empire; captured Tenochtitlan. 42. Council of the Indies: Body within Castilian government that issued all laws and advised king on all

matters dealing with the Spanish colonies of the New World.

43. Creoles: Whites born in the New World; dominated local Latin American economies and ranked just beneath peninsulares.

44. Encomendero: The holder of a grant of Indians who were required to pay a tribute or provide labor. The encomendero was responsible for their integration into the church.

45. Encomienda: Grant of Indian laborers made to Spanish conquerors and settlers in Mesoamerica and South America; basis for earliest forms of coerced labor in Spanish colonies.

46. Ferdinand of Aragon: (r. 1479-1516) Along with Isabella of Castile, monarch of largest Christian kingdom in Iberia; marriage to Isabella created united Spain; responsible for reconquest of Granada, initiation of exploration of New World.

47. Galleons: Large, heavily armed ships used to carry silver from New World colonies to Spain; basis for convoy system utilized by Spain for transportation of bullion.

48. Haciendas: Rural estates in Spanish colonies in New World; produced agricultural products for consumers in America; basis of wealth and power for local aristocracy.

49. Hispaniola: First island in Caribbean settled by Spaniards; settlement founded by Columbus on second voyage to New World; Spanish base of operations for further discoveries in New World.

50. Isabella of Castile (1451-1504) Along with Ferdinand of Aragon, monarch of largest Christian kingdoms in Iberia; marriage to Ferdinand created united Spain; responsible for reconquest of Granada, initiation of exploration of New World.

51. Las Casa, Bartolome de: (1484-1566) Dominican friar who supported peaceful conversion of the Native American population of the Spanish colonies; opposed forced labor and advocated Indian rights.

52. Letrados: University-trained lawyers from Spain in the New World; juridical core of Spanish colonial bureaucracy; exercised both legislative and administrative functions.

53. Mexico City: Capital of New Spain; built on ruins of Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.54. Middle Passage: Slave voyage from Africa to the Americas (16th-18th centuries); a traumatic

experience for black slaves, although it failed to strip Africans of their culture. 55. Mita: Labor extracted for lands assigned to the state and the religion; all communities were expected

to contribute; an essential aspect of Inca imperial control. 56. Moctezuma II: (1480-1520_ Last independent Aztec emperor; killed during Hernan Cortes’s conquest

of Tenochtitlan. 57. New Spain: Spanish colonial administrative unit including Central America, Mexico, and the southeast

and southwest of the present-day United States. 58. Peninsulares: People living in the New World Spanish colonies but born in Spain.59. Potosi: Mine located in upper Peru (modern Bolivia); largest of New World silver mines; produced 80

percent of all Peruvian silver. 60. Recopilacion: Body of laws collected in 1681 for Spanish possessions in New World; basis of law in the

Indies. 61. Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian port; close to mines of Minas Gerais where gold was discovered in 1695;

importance grew with gold strikes; became colonial capital in 1763.62. Sociedad de castas: American social system based on racial origins; Europeans or whites at top,

black slaves or Native Americans at bottom, mixed races in middle. 63. Treaty of Tordesillas: Signed in 1494 between Castile and Portugal; clarified spheres of influence

and rights of possession in New World; reserved Brazil and all newly discovered lands east of Brazil to Portugal; granted all lands west of Brazil to Spain.

64. Triangle trade: Commerce linking Africa, the New World colonies, and Europe; slaves carried to America for sugar and tobacco transported to Europe.

65. Viceroyalties: Two major divisions of Spanish colonies in New World; one based in Lima; the other in Mexico City; direct representatives of the king.

66. Viceroys: Senior government officials in Spanish America; ruled as direct representative of the king over the principal administrative units or viceroyalties; usually high-ranking Spanish nobles with previous military or governmental experience. The Portuguese also used viceroys who resided in Goa for their possessions in the Indian Ocean, and then after the mid-Seventeenth century for their colony in Brazil.