| A | B |
|---|
| descendant | coming from or directly related to |
| conquistadors | conqueror, especially one of the 16th century Spanish soldiers who defeated the Indian civilizations of Mexico, Central America, and Peru |
| encomienda | the right to demand taxes or labor from Native Americans; this right was granted to American settlers by the Spanish government. |
| mestizo | person of mixed Native American and Spanish (or Portuguese) ancestry; from the Spanish word for “mixed” |
| mulatto | person of mixed African and European ancestry |
| hacienda | plantation owned by the Spanish settlers or the Catholic Church in Spanish America; ranch where farming and cattle ranching take place |
| criollo | person of Spanish descent born in Spain’s American colonies; creole |
| guerillas | Spanish for “little war;” a person who engages in irregular warfare |
| campesino | poor Latin American farmer |
| gaucho | native cowboy of the South American pampas (plains); cowhand |
| polytheism | belief in more than one god |
| monotheism | belief in one god |
| adobe | sun dried clay bricks |
| plaza | public square |
| mosaic | picture made from many bits of colored glass, tile, or stone |
| coup d etat | military take-over of a government |
| hieroglyphics | a system of writing using signs and symbols |
| selvas | tropical rain forest in Brazil |
| favelas | slum area |
| caudillos | military ruler |
| aqueduct | a pipe or channel used to carry water from a distant source to dry areas |
| quipus | a knotted string used by Incan government officials and traders for record keeping |
| terracing | strips of land cut out of a hillside like stair steps so the land can hold water and be used for farming |
| subsistence farming | the practice of growing only as much food as a family needs to survive |
| tribute | tax or payment made by one group or nation to another to show obedience or to obtain peace or protection |
