Conquistadors: Spanish explorers and warriors who led military expeditions in the Americas and captured land for Spain.
Encomienda System: A labor system where the Spanish crown granted colonists authority over a specified number of natives; it was used to regulate Native American labor and behavior during the colonization period.
Columbian Exchange: The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages.