| A | B |
|---|
| viceroy | colonial representatives who ruled provinces of New Spain in the name of the Spanish King |
| plantation | large estates run by an owner or the owner's overseer |
| encomiendas | the right to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in a particular area |
| peon | workers forced to labor for a landlord in order to pay off a debt |
| peninsular | top of colonial society were those people born in Spain |
| creole | American-born descendants of Spanish settlers |
| mestizo | people of Native American and European descent |
| mulatto | people of African and European descent |
| privateer | those who preyed on Spanish treasure ships with permission from European Government |
| Council of the Indies | a body appointed by the Spanish King to pass laws for the colonies and to oversee the colonial officials to make sure they did not assume to much authority |
| Bartolome de las Casas | a bold priest who condemned the evils of the encomienda system. He reported the horrors that Spanish rule had brought to Native Americans and pleaded with the King to end the abuse |
| New Laws of the Indies | laws passed by Spain to prevent abuses to the Native Americans. These laws were not well enforced because Spain was too far away. |
