Term | Definition |
Log | A record, usually of a voyage or experiment. |
Colony | A settlement far away from the country that rules it. |
Columbian Exchange | The movement of people, plants, animals and germs across the Atlantic Ocean following the voyages of Columbus. |
Christopher Columbus | Italian sea captain and explorer sailing under the flag of Spain. He reached the Americas in 1492. |
King Ferdinand | King of Spain, who with his wife Isabella, paid for Columbus's voyages to the Americas. |
Queen Isabella | Queen of Spain, who with her husband king Ferdinand, paid for Columbus's voyages to the Americas. |
Amerigo Vespucci | An explorer who realized the Caribbean islands were not Asia. |
Tribute | Forced payment usually made in the form of valuable goods. |
Conquistador | A Spanish conquerer who first came to the Americas in the 1500s. |
Moctezuma II | Aztec emperor defeated by Hernando Cortes in 1520. |
Hernando Cortes | Conquistador who defeated the Aztec in 1521. |
Dona Marina | Indian also called Malnche who aided Hernando Cortes in his conquest of Tenochitilan in 1521. |
Cuauhtemoc | Aztec ruler following the death of Moctezuma II, who led the Aztec in the final battle for Tenochitilan. |
Fancisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador who defeated the Inca in 1533. |
Atahualpa | Last ruler of the vast Inca Empire, who was captured and killed by the Spaniards. |
Encomienda | A very large piece of land in New Spain given by the Spanish government to certain Spanish colonists during the 1500s. |
Missionary | A person who teaches his or her religion to people of different beliefs. |
Estevanico | 1500s African who story of the "Seven Cities of Gold" led Francisco de Coronado to explore the Southwest. |
Fray Marcos de Niza | 1500s Roman Catholic priest who accompanied Coronado on his search for the "Seven Cities of Gold." |
Francisco Coronado | 1510-1554 Spanish explorer of the American Southwest from 1540-1542. |
Bartolome de las Casas | A Catholic Priest, who was the defender of Indian rights. Arrived at Hispaniola in 1513 to be a missionary. |
Yanga | 1500s-1600s Leader of a slave revolt in New Spain in 1609. |