The History of Latin America European Conquest Present Day Name: KEY Section:
Key Terms 1. conquistador: one of the conquerors who claimed and ruled land in America for the Spanish. 2. Moctezuma: ruler of the Aztec empire at the time the Spanish arrived. 3. Christopher Columbus: Italian explorer sponsored by Spain who landed in the West Indies (Caribbean Islands) in 1492. 4. Hernán Cortés: conquistador who conquered the Aztec empire. 5. Francisco Pizarro: conquistador who conquered the Inca. 6. mestizo: in Latin America, a person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. 7. hacienda: a large farm or plantation 8. Toussaint L Ouverture: leader of Haiti s fight for independence. 9. revolution: overthrow of a government, with another taking its place 10. criollo: a person with Spanish parents who was born in Latin America 11. Simón Bolívar: a South American revolutionary leader who liberated Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama 12. José de San Martín: a South American revolutionary leader who liberated Chile and Peru 13. caudillo: a military officer who rules a country very strictly 14. dictator: a ruler with complete power 15. export: products that EXIT one country to be sold in another country 16. import: products that come INTO one country from another country to be sold 17. foreign debt: money owed by one country to another country 18. regime: a particular administration or government
Chapter 2 Latin America: Shaped by Its History, Part II Section 3: European Conquest (pages 50-56) 1. Instead of paying them to explore, the rulers of Spain gave the conquistadors encomiendas, or the right to hunt for treasure in America and to settle there. 2. When Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico, he found groups of Native Americans who were willing to help him fight the Aztecs. 3. What did the Line of Demarcation show? Where Portugal and Spain could settle and trade. 4. What did the Spanish explorers hope to find in Latin America? Gold 5. How would you describe the relations between Spain and Portugal in the 1400s? They tried to stop each other from claiming land. 6. Why were the conquistadors able to defeat the two most powerful empires in the Americas so quickly? The Spanish brought diseases which killed entire villages. 7. Following the Spanish conquest, many Native Americans died from overwork, malnutrition, and disease. 8. Spain s two most important colonies in the Americas were New Spain and Peru. 9. All of the following are foods or animals that came to Europe from the Americas except: a. maize. b. chocolate. c. potatoes. d. horses. Section 4: Independence (pages 57-61) 10. Revolutions in North America and France inspired ideas of independence in Latin America.
11. The fight for Mexico s independence lasted over 10 years. 12. Criollos wanted all the people of Latin America to have the same rights and to share power democratically. (Criollos wanted power for themselves.) 13. What event marked the start of the struggle for Latin American freedom? The Night of Fire in Haiti 14. Which events helped to inspire the criollos to fight for Latin American independence? The American and French revolutions 15. Who was the criollo priest who helped plan Mexico s fight for freedom? Miguel Hidalgo 16. What was unusual about the way that Brazil gained its independence? It was done without fighting. 17. What was Simon Bolivar s final fate? He was rejected by other leaders and retired from politics. 18. The first European colony in the Americas to win independence was Haiti. 19. Two leaders who contributed to independence in South America were Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar 20. Under Simon Bolivar s leadership, independent Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama became joined in a federation called Gran Colombia. Section 5: From Past to Present (pages 64-68) 21. Many Latin American countries were ruled by dictators, rulers with complete power. 22. After Latin American colonies became independent, many mestizos and Native Americans gained political power. 23. Foreign countries built seaports and railroads in Latin American countries in order to make it easier to export their products.
24. In the mid-1900s, many Latin American businesses were owned by foreign companies. 25. Why did the United States want to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama? The canal would benefit American trade and the American navy. 26. What happened in the 1980s that led Latin American countries to borrow money from wealthy countries such as the United States? The price of oil went up at the same time prices for Latin American products went down. Latin American countries borrowed heavily from other countries. 27. What is the purpose of the North American Free Trade Agreement? To make trade easier between Mexico, the United States, and Canada 28. Because Latin American countries borrowed money from other countries, they had a large amount of foreign debt. 29. Military regimes in Latin American countries ruled harshly. (Also, caudillos, dictators) 30. One major economic problem facing most Latin American countries is that the majority of people are poor. 31. Latin American countries relied on exporting farm products and minerals. 32. When the price of oil rose in the 1980s, many Latin American countries borrowed money from wealthy countries.