| A | B |
|---|
| Cortes | conquered the Aztecs |
| Pizarro | conquered the Incas |
| Ponce de Leon | searched for a fountain of youth |
| De Soto | searched the Southeast for gold |
| Coronado | searched the Southwest for gold |
| Laws of the Indies | set rules and established settlements in New Spain |
| pueblos | centers of farming and trade |
| presidios | forts where the soldiers lived |
| missions | religious settlements run by priests |
| peninsulares | highest social class born in Spain |
| creoles | second highest social class born in the Americas to Spanish parents |
| mestizos | third in the social class order: mix of Spanish and Indian parents |
| Indians | lowest in the social class order: treated as slaves |
| encomiendas | land grants that allowed settlers to force Native Americans to work and pay taxes |
| Bartolome de Las Casas | priest that asked the king to prohibit the enslavement of Native Americans |
| plantation | large estate farmed by slaves |
