hist

Interpretation

How one views something based on facts and knowledge or an explanation

Patrón

Patron in Spanish. People who were cronies of a certain caudillo, from which they receive certain benefits. I can't find the reading that discusses this, so I will finish the definition later.

Paternalism

People in authority restricting the power and freedoms of their subordinates because those in charge believe that doing so is for the good of those on the bottom. In the context of Mexico, Spain/white people behaved this way towards the people of color in their colonies.

Corn

Plant originally grown in central america used by its inhabitants in a variety of ways such as tortillas and tamales. Europeans started using when they colonized

POV

Point of View

Nationalism

Political ideology based off of patriotism and benefit solely for one nation (the belief that one nation is the best).

Liberalism

Political ideology that is often based on new ideas such as EXAMPLES, putting it into conflict with old ideas

Conquest Procedures

Procedures made by the Spanish in order to justify their conquest of the New World. The procedures: followed procedures already laid out during the Spanish conquest of Iberia, created a sense of legality, appealed to a higher authority, placed a focus on indigenous allies, interpreters, cities, and mining, and encourage theatrical displays of violence as a way to subjugate a population.

New World

Refers to the continents of Central and South America.

Old World

Refers to the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Popular Sovereignty

Rule by the people; the people are sovereign. In practice, this often means some form of democracy (either direct, or, as in Mexico, a representative democracy). This idea was in many of the Mexican Declarations of Independences, and was eventually incorporated in the Mexican system of governance.

Yanga

See "Gaspar Yanga."

Francisco López de Gómara

A Spanish chronicler who interviewed conquerors, including Cortés, whom he eventually became the personal chaplain of, and then he gained fame by publicly circulating an account of the conquest that was attractive for its stylistic elegance.

"A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies."

A book that shared the first hand account of the destruction if the semi sedentary Taíno people on the island of Hispaniola from the perspective of Friar Bartolome de las casas.

"The True History of the Conquest of New Spain"

A book written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo who wrote his eye witness account many decades after the actual conquest.

C-4

A carbon compound that is made up of four carbon atoms, as opposed to the normal three; this compound is found within corn and a handful of other small species of plant

Maafa

According to Justin, "black holocaust."

September 16, 1810

The day when the Grito de Dolores was issued, prompting Hidalgo's rebellion. Indubitably, this day is recognized as Mexican Independence Day.

Caudillos

The highest patron of all or the party's national leader.

"General History of the Indies"

The name of the account of the conquest made by Francisco López de Gómara. This book was dedicated to the King of Spain, and was very laudatory of the conquest..

Florentine Codex

The original work published by Bernardino de Sahagún, which was later abbreviated to "A General History of New Spain." This work was an account of the conquest from the indigenous perspective.

Institutionalized oppression

The systematic mistreatment of a certain group of people, supported by people in power. This happened in Mexico.

"A General History of New Spain"

This work was a portion of the original work published by Bernardino de Sahagún called the Florentine Codex. This work was an account of the conquest from the indigenous perspective.

Facts

True statements. However, due to historians' biases and different perspectives, it is nearly impossible to find a 100% "fact" in history.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo

A Spanish adventurer who went on the Cortés expedition. He wrote "True History of the Conquest of New Spain," which was an account of his experience during the conquest, decades after the actual event because he disagreed with the accounts given by others, especially the one by Francisco López de Gómara.

Palenques

A Mayan city state in Southern Mexico

Memín Penguín

A controversial cartoon about a black monkey which was made in Mexico

Calpulli

A council of common people in Aztec society that performed essential services, willfully collaborated with the government, and made ordinary people feel like an important part of society. However, in the later stages of the Aztec Empire, their power declined and they were much less enthusiastic to collaborate with the state. Essentially, it was a local government.

Parral

A fairly average sized mine in Southern Mexico. Despite the fact that it wasn't the biggest mine in the region, it still produced large amounts of silver. However, most of its profits ultimately benefited the Spaniards and people of Spanish descent. It was mined by slaves and by free workers, who were likely drawn to the mine despite its horrendous conditions due to a general lack of other economic opportunity.

Transculturation

A give and take process in which two societies exchange different aspects of their culture to ultimately create a general mix of the two cultures.

Mexica

A group of Indigenous people who were the rulers of the Aztec Empire. Their capital/home base was Tenochtitlan.

Hegemony

A kind of domination that implies a measure of consent by those at the bottom. It is a steady preponderance rather than an iron rule; subtle but still incredibly damaging to those on the bottom. It can often involve institutional oppression and lead to internalized oppression.

Haciendas

A large estate or plantation with a dwelling house. It was most likely owned by a Spaniard or other white person and farmed by Indigenous or black people.

Sentiments of the Nation, or Points Outlined by Morelos for the Constitution

A plan made by Jose María Morelos that presented his views, with the intention that they became the basis for the constitution of an Independent Mexico. His plan includes "liberal" ideas - popular sovereignty, independence from Spain, abolishment of slavery, equality of everyone before the law, and fair taxation. He also proposes a representative democracy, and includes some nationalist rhetoric - for example, no foreigner can be admitted unless they are artisans capable of teaching their trade to others. Finally, he incorporates some conservatism into his document, saying that the Catholic church is the only legitimate church.

Plan of Iguala

A plan that presented the ideas of Agustín de Iturbide for an independent Mexican nation. This plan did very little to help the average Mexican person. It proposed the independence of Mexico, a limited monarchical government, equality for Creoles and Peninsulares, and proposed Roman Catholicism as the one true religion. This plan, and the compromise and military and political might behind it, helped secure Mexico's independence. However, Iturbide proclaimed himself emperor after independence was soon thrown out of power by Sant Anna, destroying the optimism that the plan would provide the long term basis for government in Mexico.

Nativism

A political philosophy which glorifies identity by birthplace. In the context of Mexico, this strategy was used by Creoles to rally the people ("Americanos," non whites who made up the majority of the population) to revolt against Peninsulares. Thus, their form of nativism was to claim that their cause was the "American" cause, even though the rebellion only really benefited Creoles.

Father José María Morelos

A priest, who, after the death of Hidalgo, became the most prominent leader of revolutionary forces. He declared independence in 1813 and in doing so, presented his political ideas in his Sentiments of the Nation.

Sambo

A racial slur used to describe someone of African heritage

Father Miguel Hidalgo

A rebellious Creole priest who sparked and lead a rebellion in 1810. He issued the Grito de Dolores, which inspired the rebellion. However, eventually, the rebellion failed, and Hidalgo was captured and executed.

Agustín de Iturbide

A royalist general in the Mexican Civil War. He reached a deal with the rebels and issued a declaration of independence. The Plan de Iguala presented his ideas for an independent Mexican nation. After winning the war for independence, he proclaimed himself emperor of Mexico and was thrown out of power soon thereafter by Santa Anna.

Viceroyalty

A ruler or system of rulers who take orders from their leader and generally govern a colony, or conquered area in place of them

Zapotec

A society in south central Mexico that suffered less than other societies during the decline of the classical period in Mexico. They had similar architecture and gods as other classical societies.

Hernán Cortés

A spanish conqueror who conquered the Aztec Empire

Grito de Dolores

On September 16th, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo issued this call. It was an enthusiastic call to arms and it inspired Hidalgo's rebellion.

Casta Paintings

Paintings that demonstrate the racial hierarchy in Latin America.

Patronage

An act of sharing and keeping power and the spoils of power within a small, select group of people in exchange for loyalty. Patronage systems were common in post independence Mexico. (Typically, a certain group of people were "patrons" to a caudillo, and both the caudillo and the patron would receive benefits from this partnership.)

Encomiendas

An allotment from the Spanish to give their colonists the right to take inhabitants of an area to use for forced labor.

Cabildo abierto

An open meeting of the town council. Specifically, around the time of independence in Mexico, Peru, etc., these councils often formed local, pro independence, and temporary juntas to dictate laws. (The Central Junta, a lawmaking body that was given the task to rule New Spain after the collapse of monarchical authority, was seen as illegitimate because its representatives were chosen entirely in Spain).

Teotihuacan

Ancient mesoamerican city/state which is now an archeological site studied for its pyramids. Teotihuacan was a city founded in the first century BC, and lasted until the seventh or eighth century AD, whereas Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztecs, founded at a much later period. Mexico City is built on top of TENOCHTITLAN, not Teotihuacan.

Mixtec

Another indigenous group in Mexico, who were allied with the Zapotecs. They succeeded the Zapotecs' territory and developed a rich culture and religion of their own which elaborated on the legacy of the Zapotecs.

Calpultin

Another way to refer to Calpulli, so see that definition (I think it may be the calpulli, and to participate in calpultin.)

Bernardino de Sahagún

Bernardino de Sahagún was a Franciscan friar who was one of the most significant early missionaries to the New World. In the middle 1500s, he interviewed and got an account of the conquest from the indigenous, in their language, and translated it into Spanish.

Malinche/Malintzin

Cortes's Aztec interpreter

Olmecs

Earliest civilization in Mesoamerica which influenced other civilizations

Chinampas

Floating gardens in tenochtitlan used by the Aztecs

Progress

Forward movement, advancement. In our context, this means the construction of railroads, public transport in cities, paving of city streets, and greater use of technology (machines, e.g. the steam engine). In the late 1800s, Latin American leaders, following the example of the rest of the world, became obsessed with "progress" (by European standards). It became their top political priority. Due to the rise of the industrial revolution, Latin American export revenues boomed. The money built railroads and paved streets, and helped the elites, middle class, and city dwellers, but was actually a step backward for the now overlooked common, rural population.

Macehualtin

Group of people in Aztec society that paid tribute, were laborers/commoners. They could participate in the Calpultin. They could use specified land, which they had to keep cultivated, and pass it down to their descendents. These people made up the bulk of Aztec society.

Mulatto

Half black, half white.

Moors

Northwestern African people with mixed Berber and Arab descent that took over the southern part of the Iberian peninsula and were eventually driven out by the Spanish and Portuguese.

Columbus

Italian explorer who was sent to find a quicker route to India by Spain, instead he found the Americas and captured the native inhabitants and took their money to give back to Spain.

Legitimacy

Justification of power. The Spanish established it through religion/their King, whereas liberal governments looked to justify their power through constitutions/elections.

Nahuatl

Language spoken by the Aztecs and many other indigenous tribes in the Central Mexico region before the Spanish conquest.

Maya

Mesoamerican civilization that had great advancements in academic subjects such as math, art, architecture, and astronomical systems.

Santa Anna

Mexican caudillo and general who was the second leader of Mexico after he disposed of Iturbide. He was a great political opportunist who was first opposed independence, then supported it, and was first a liberal, then a conservative. He installed and removed other presidents as well.

Toltec

Militant nomads from Northern Mexico who came to Central Mexico and established their capital there.

Montezuma

Ninth Emperor of Tenochtitlán. He was the Emperor at the time of the Spanish conquest, when he welcomed Cortés into his city. He was eventually held hostage and executed by the Spanish.

Mestizo

Someone who is half white (specifically, Spanish) and half Indigenous.

Peninsulares

Spaniards born in spain.

Conquistador

Spanish conquerors who conquered Mexico/Peru.

Americanos

The "nativist keyword." Anyone born in America, be they white or black or indigenous, was considered an "Americano." This presents a clear contrast against Spaniards and Portuguese, who weren't Americanos and were thus enemies of the Americanos. The Creoles were able to use this kinship with oppressed people to rally them to rebel against Spanish rule.

Friar Bartolomé de las Casas

The best known and most efficacious of all Spanish spokesmen for the indigenous victims of the conquest. He witnessed the destruction of the Taíno people on the island of Hispaniola, which eventually inspired him to publish much work. His most important achievement was helping the passage of the New Laws of the Indies, which protected the indigenous from the economiendas system

Internalized oppression

When one or a group of people have been oppressed for such a long time that they start to "believe" the oppression (that is, believe their own inferiority.)

White savior complex

White people thinking that people of color are incompetent and in need of saving. (Ex. President Roosevelt thought that Latin American governments were incompetent and occasionally needed correction "by some civilized nation").

Castiza

a caste of people that are three fourths Spanish and one fourth Indigenous.

Industrial Revolution

a point in time where people make advancements in technology - specifically machines. This prompted a general obsession with "progress" and a new age of globalization. It was funded by gold/silver mined in the New World.

Patriarchy

a society/government that is ruled by men; this type of society holds men's interests as superior to women.

Caste System

a system in which people, based on their race, are ranked in Central and South America by (white) colonial authorities. (White being at the top of the system and black being at the bottom). Each group of people had certain legal rights, with whites having the most. However, as American societies grew more and more diverse, the caste system became harder and harder to inforce.

Indio

an indigenous person born in the Americas.

Pipiltin

class of nobility deliberately created by the Aztecs during the fifteenth century. Most of the nobles were descendents of an Aztec king.

Creoles

people of Spanish descent who were born in the New World.

Tlatlacotin

slaves who could own property, buy their freedom and could be sacrificed.

Gaspar Yanga

the African leader of a group of slaves in the early 1600s who resisted Spanish rule and was granted the right to found a town, the first town founded by a black man in the New World.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

the King and Queen of Spain at the time of Columbus's landing in the New World. They financed his voyage and the voyages following it.

Colonization

the process of settling/ruling another culture in accordance to one's own.

Teul

the term the Mexica used to describe the Spaniards, which can either be translated to mean "god", "spirit", or "demon". Either way, it implies supernatural power, although not necessarily holiness.