Question | Answer |
What are the causes of air pollution in Mexico City? | Overcrowding
Industrialization
Vehicle emissions
Location (valley between two mountain ranges) |
What are the effects of deforestation in the Amazon Basin? | Loss of habitat for many species
Contributes to climate change (loss of carbon sink)
Soil erosion
Soil depletion |
What were the peak years of the Mayans? | 250 – 950 CE |
Where were the Mayans located? | Central America |
What were the Maya's main achievements? | System of writing using hieroglyphics, developed 365-day calendar, use of digit zero, large temples |
What happened to the Mayans? | Mysteriously abandoned cities and mostly disappeared |
What were the peak years of the Aztecs? | 1345-1521 |
Where were the Aztecs located? | Valley of Mexico |
What were the Aztecs known for? | Human sacrifices to please the gods, canals and floating gardens to adapt to living on island, large temples |
What happened to the Aztecs? | Spanish conquest and disease (small pox) |
What were the peak years of the Incas? | 1425-1531 |
Where were the Incas located? | West coast of South America – Andes Mountains |
How did the Incas adapt to life in the Andes Mountains? | Terraced farming, aqueducts and extensive road system |
What happened to the Incas? | Spanish conquest and disease (small pox) |
Maize | corn |
Hieroglyphics | system of writing using signs and symbols |
Tribute | like a tax that can be paid with labor, gold/silver, crops or human lives |
Tenochtitlan | capital of Aztec empire, today it is Mexico City |
Machu Picchu | famous Incan city in the Andes Mountains in Peru |
Aqueduct | pipes or channels designed to bring water from a distant source |
Conquistador | Spanish conqueror |
Criollo/Creole | Spanish people born in the colonies |
Peninsulare | Spanish-born nobles living in colonies |
Hacienda | plantation owned by Spaniards or Catholic Church |
Mestizo | people of mixed Spanish and Native American descent |
Treaty | agreement between two nations |
Line of Demarcation | imaginary line determining what land belonged to Portugal (Brazil) or Spain (rest of Central and South America) |
Who was Hernan Cortes? | Spanish conquistador
Conquered Aztecs, laid siege to Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City on top of the ruins
First Governor General of New Spain |
Who was Francisco Pizarro? | Spanish conquistador
Conquered Incas
Established Lima, capital of Peru |
What was the encomienda system? | Spaniards were given land and a grant of indigenous people in the Americas that they could demand tribute from in the form of gold/silver or labor. In return they were to protect and Christianize the indigenous people. |
Who was at the top of the social class system in New Spain / Peru? | Peninsulares, Spanish nobles |
What types of tribute did the Spanish demand from the indigenous people? | Gold/silver or labor in the mines/fields |
What were the Spaniards supposed to provide for the indigenous people? | Protection, Christian religion, and education |
How did the system of mercantilism work? | Colony sent mother country raw materials and then purchased finished goods from mother country. Colony was not allowed to industrialize or trade with other nations. |
Why did mercantilism make the Spanish colonists mad? | They were limited in how much money they could make because they could only export raw materials to the mother country |
Who was Simon Bolivar? | Famous independence leader. Helped free future countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama from Spain and eventually all of South America. Bolivia is named after him. |
Who was Miguel Hidalgo? | Crillo/creole priest from Mexico. Rallied mestizos and Native Americans to rebel against the Spanish and demand their homeland back. He was captured and executed by the Spanish. |
How did Brazil become independent? | The King of Portugal lived in Brazil for a time and then left his son, Dom Pedro, in charge when he moved back to Portugal. Dom Pedro declared Brazil independent with himself as emperor. Later Dom Pedro’s son gave up the throne so that Brazil could become |