the Landmasses of much of the Eastern Hemisphere, also known as the Old World

A person who studies humanity - the origin and development of human beings and their societies.

A person who studies human history, particularly the culture of historic and prehistoric people, through discovery and exploration of remains, structures and writings.

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets

Also known as Mexica, they created a powerful empire in central Mexico (1325-1521 C.E.). They forced defeated peoples to provide goods and labor as a tax.

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

A small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.

Southern European style of building Ships that were made with Edge-to-edge planks of wood that was fine for the placid waters of the Mediterranean Sea

an ancient Mayan city located on the Yucatan Peninsula

Aztec Floating/Raised fields constructed along lake shores in Mesoamerica to increase agricultural yields.

Northern European style of building Ships that were made with overlapping planks of wood to give them strength against the harsh North and Baltic Seas

Brilliant red dye produced by small insects found on prickly pear cactus.

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

A dramatic change in the economy of Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. It is characterized by an increase in towns and trade, the use of banks and credit, and the establishment of guilds to regulate quality and price.

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

A group of states or countries under a single supreme authority.

It gave Spanish settlers the right to tax local Natives or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity

Portuguese navigator who led the Spanish expedition of 1519-1522 that was the first to sail around the world. (though he didn't quite make it)

Spanish explorer who led the conquest of the Inca Empire of Peru in 1531-1533.

Rural estates in Spanish colonies in New World produced agricultural products for consumers in America; basis of wealth and power for local aristocracy. Similar to the feudal system, Natives got money and had to buy their products from their owners

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Peninsula in southwestern Europe occupied by Spain and Portugal

a member of a South American Indian people living in the central Andes before the Spanish conquest who built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Peru.

Capital of the Ottoman empire; located in the northwest of present-day Turkey; formerly Constantinople

an association of individuals in a business enterprise with transferable shares of stock, much like a corporation except that stockholders are liable for the debts of the business

System of knotted colored cords used by preliterate Andean peoples to transmit information. These knots are interesting because the Inca are notable for being a relatively sophisticated empire and civilization, but they had no written language

Triangular sail that was developed in Indian Ocean trade that allowed a ship to sail against the wind.

8,000 ft above sea level between mountain peaks has a sun temple, public buildings, and a central places, possible religious center or an estate of wealthy nobility.

An instrument that uses a magnetized steel bar to indicate direction relative to the earth's magnetic pole.

Mesoamerican civilization concentrated in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and in Guatemala and Honduras but never unified into a single empire. Major contributions were in mathematics, astronomy, and development of the calendar.

Ottoman sultan called the "Conqueror"; responsible for conquest of Constantinople in 1453; destroyed what remained of Byzantine Empire.

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver from Colonies, forcing them to sell only to their mother country, and by selling more goods than they bought

The term used by Spanish authorities to describe someone of mixed native American and European descent.

A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies

greatest builder of the ottoman empire, his buildings expressed the discipline, power, and devotion to Islam that characterized the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman

This star does not appear to move in the sky, but remains in the same position each night while constellations appear to revolve around it

A system instituted by Spain in which residents of Indian villages remained legally free and entitled to wages, but were still required to perform a fixed amount of labor each year; replaced the encomienda system in 1550.

The most illustrious sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1520-1566); also known as 'The Lawgiver.' He significantly expanded the empire in the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean.

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.

the Landmasses of much of the Western Hemisphere, also known as the New World

Islamic state founded in Anatolia. Based at Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) from 1453-1922. It encompassed lands in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe.

the most important Maya political center between the 4th-9th centuries. It was a city that had temples, pyramids, palaces, and public buildings. Also used as the filming location for the Medal Ceremony scene at the end of Star Wars A New Hope.

prevailing winds that blow from the east towards the west from 30 degrees latitude to the equator in both hemispheres headed towards the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, these winds allowed boats from Europe to easily reach the Caribbean.

The brutal system of forced migration of African Slaves from Africa to the Americas. It changed the economy, politics, and environment and forever affected Africa, Europe, and America.

A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.

An Italian city that by 1000 C.E. emerged as a major center of Mediterranean trade.

Winds between 30 and 60 degrees north and 30 and 60 degrees south that head west to east and towards the poles. This explains why winds from the Atlantic keep places like Britain and Ireland at relatively warm temperatures relative to their latitude.

Chinese admiral during the Ming Dynasty, he led great voyages that spread China's fame throughout Asia