| A | B |
|---|
| conquistador | Spanish soldiers who led military expeditions in the Americas |
| Francisco Pizarro | the conquistador who conquered the entire Inca Empire |
| Hernan Cortes | the conquistador who destroyed Tenochtitlan and killed Moctezuma II |
| Moctezuma II | Ruled the Aztec Empire. Thought Cortes was a god. |
| encomienda system | The system that gave settlers the right to tax Native Americans or make them work. |
| Plantations | Large farms that grew just one crop. |
| Ponce de Leon | The explorer that conquered Puerto Rico, discovered the coast of Florida, and searched for the Fountain of Youth. |
| Vasquez de Coronado | Explorer who searched the North American southwest and discovered the Grand Canyon. |
| New Spain | Name given to the vast empire that the Spanish had created in America. |
| Council of Indies | System of royal officials who ruled the Spanish empire in America from Spain. |
| presidios | Spanish military bases that protected towns and missions |
| pueblos | The place that served as trading posts or sometimes the center of government. |
| missions | The place where the Spanish converted the Native Americans to Catholicism. |
| El Camino Royal | The network of roads the Spanish built between Mexico City and Santa Fe. "The Royal Road" |
| Bartolome de Las Casas | The priest who said the Spanish should try to convert the native Americans to Christianity by showing love, gentleness, and kindness. |
