Latin America History Review Questions with Answers

  1. Both Spanish and Portuguese are based on what language that is no longer spoken?Latin
  1. What term is used to describe the part of the world that shares a common history, mostly speak Romance Languages, and have similar cultures?Latin America
  1. Which European countries claimed the most territory in Latin America?Spain and Portugal
  1. What was the capital of the Aztec empire?Tenochtitlan
  1. What language was spoken by the Aztec?Nahuatl
  1. What are three items or characteristics of the Aztec that show they had an advanced civilization?

Irrigation, mathematics & calendar

  1. Who conquered the Aztecs?Hernan Cortes
  1. Hoping the Spanish would be satisfied and then leave, what did the Aztec ruler give to the conquistadors when they first arrived?gold
  1. Who was the ruler of the Aztecs?Montezuma
  1. What are three things the Aztecs got from the people they conquered?

Taxes, gold, slaves, humans for sacrifice

  1. Where was the Inca Empire? Western part of South America
  1. What was the capital of the Inca Empire?Cusco
  1. Who conquered the Inca Empire?Francisco Pizarro
  1. How did the Spanish king reward Pizarro for his plan of conquest?Made him the viceroy (governor) over much of the Inca lands
  1. What happened to most of the gold and silver that was taken by the conquistadors?Was sent back to the King of Spain
  1. What animal was brought to the New World to the new which, at first, was tremendously negative for the indigenous people, but in the end had positive consequences?The horse
  1. What name is given to the movement of people, ideas, foods, and diseases between peoples in the Old and New Worlds? The Columbian Exchange
  1. How did the introduction of horses change life for the indigenous people of the Americas?Provided a means for transportation, used for labor, helped in hunting
  1. Which of the following items moved from the New World to the Old World? (corn, peaches, potatoes, cocoa beans, wheat, tomatoes, rice, peppers, sugar, pigs, cattle)Corn, potatoes, Cocoa beans, tomatoes, peppers
  1. What item brought from the Old World to the New World was the biggest factor in causing huge losses of indigenous peoples?diseases
  1. Why did the colonial Europeans need to bring slaves from Africa?To work as laborers in mines and on plantations because they were more immune to the European diseases than the indigenous people; many on the natives had died and left a labor shortage
  1. What were three reasons why the Columbian Exchange was important?Spread diseases which killed about 80% of the indigenous population, introduced new foods and animals to each region, and brought the horse to the New World
  1. Why are there so many Mullatoes in Latin America today?Because Africans and Europeans intermarried
  1. What is the most common religion found in Latin America today?Roman Catholic
  1. What did the Spanish and Portuguese governments do to help spread their religion in Latin America?paid for missions to be built and supplied the military to help protect the missions and the missionaries