| A | B |
|---|
| Amerind | The forerunner of the vast majority of Indian language in the Americas. |
| Astrolabe | A device that permitted accurate calculation of latitude or distances north and south. |
| Bandeirantes | Brazilian frontiersmen who traveled deep into South America to enslave Indians. |
| Beringia | A land bridge across the Bering Straits between Siberia and Alaska. |
| Caravel | A new type of oceangoing vessel that could travel from three to twelve knots per hour. |
| Chinampas | The highly productive gardens built on Lake Taxcoco by the Aztecs. |
| Clovis Tip | A superior spear point developed before 9000 B.C. |
| Conquistadores | The Spanish word for conquerors. |
| Encomienda | A system of labor that permitted the holder to claim labor for Indians in a district for a stated period of time. |
| Factories | Small posts established for the early slave trade along the coast of Africa or on the small offshore islands. |
| Hacienda | Large estates established by the Spanish. |
| Hidalgos | The minor nobility of Spain. They were interested in improving their position through the overseas empire. |
| Maritime | Of, or relating, to the sea. |
| Matrilineal | A society that determines inheritance and roles in life based on the female or maternal line. |
| Mesoamerica | An area embracing Central and South America. |
| Millennium | The period at the end of history when Christ is expected to return and rule with his saints for a thousand years. |
| Monotheistic | The belief that there is only one God or deity. |
| Neolithic | The period known also as the late Stone Age. Agriculture developed, and stone, rather than metal, tools were used. |
| Prehistoric | A civilization that has no written past. |
| Sedentary | Societies that are rooted locally or are nonmigratory. |
| Serfdom | Early medieval Europe's predominant labor system that tied peasants to their lords and the land. |
| Slash and Burn | A system of agriculture in which trees were cut down, girded, or in some way destroyed. |
| Staple Crop | A crop grown for commercial sale. It usually was produced in a colonial area and was sold in Europe. |
| Tierra del Fuego | The region at the southern tip of South America. |
