Chapter 17
Conquistador
A Spanish conqueror of the Americas
The Dutch competed successfully for trade in Asia because of the
Development of a new ship along with the growth of mercantilism in the Dutch Republic
The treaty of tordesillas signed in 1494
Established a line between territories controlled by Spain and those controlled by Portugal
Columbian Exchange
Exchange of plants animals and people betweem europe asia and the americas
Why could only peninsulares hold important government positions in Latin America?
Peninsulares were born in the parent countries that founded their colonies
Mercantilism
Seventeenth century economic theory that held that the prosperity of a nation depended ln a large suppyly of gold amd silver
Peninsulares
Spanish and Portuguese officials who resided temporarily in Latin America
Why did the Catholic Church have so much influence in Latin America?
Spanish and Portuguese rulers wanted Natives to become Catholic
Social class in Latin America in the 1500s was based on
Status
Why were enslaved Africans needed in the Caribbean islands?
The Native American population was small due to diseases brought from Europe
The conquistadors' main advantage over the Aztec and Inca empires was their
Types of weaporny
According to mercantilists, the prosperity of a nation depended on
a large supply of bullion, or gold and silver
colony
a settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade and direct government control
Caravel
a ship invented by the Portuguese that made it possible to travel long distances
How did the Portuguese and Spanish make money from their Latin American colonies?
farming and mining
Encomienda
forced labor system used by the Spanish in colonial Latin America
Mita
forced labor system used in colonial Peru to draft native workers to work in silver mines
Prince Henry the Navigator
sponsored the first Portuguese fleets to explore the west coast of Africa
Middle Passage
the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas
Vasco da Gama's discovery of a route to India by sea proved to be
very profitable, since da Gama returned with a valuable cargo of spices