were essential to trade between Spain and its
colonies in the Americas and the Philippines.
hemisphere Half of the Earth, whether
divided into East-West or North-South. The
Western Hemisphere comprises North and
South America.
hidalgo A Spanish gentleman or low-rank-
ing nobleman.
hieroglyphs Based on Greek words for
“sacred carving,” this term refers to a sys-
tem of writing that uses pictorial signs to
indicate sounds.
indigenous An adjective used to describe
people or species of animals and plants
that are native to a particular place. When
species are found only in that place, they
are then said to be “endemic.”
isthmus A narrow neck of land connecting
two larger bodies of land, such as the Isth-
mus of Panama.
Jesuit Amember of the Society of Jesus, a
Catholic order whose adherents dedicate
themselves to preaching and higher educa-
tion. Jesuit missionaries were active in the
southwestern United States and Mexico
until their expulsion in 1767 by order of
Spain’s King Charles III.
latitude The distance north or south of the
equator measured in degrees. The equator
is 0 degrees.
league Ameasure of distance. At the time of
the early exploration of the Americas, a
league was used by different nationalities to
refer to a variety of distances, but it was gen-
erally defined as being slightly more than
two and a half miles. Today it is commonly
valued as being three miles in length.
log The book in which a ship’s speed and all
other information relating to a voyage are
recorded. Its name is derived from the
practice of tying a piece of wood, or log, to
a rope, throwing it overboard, and then
timing how long it took to run out the rope
a known distance.
longitude Standard of measurement describ-
ing the distance east or west from the merid-
ian, a fixed north-south line depicted on
maps with a baseline of zero longitude. See
meridian.
mariner A sailor.
meridian A north-south line depicting a
standard baseline of zero longitude. In 1884
an international convention fixed the loca-
tion of the prime meridian (zero longitude)
at Greenwich Observatory, near London,
England. Before then, cartographers were
free to draw the meridian wherever they
liked, and its location depended on the
nationality of the mapmaker.
mesa A land formation common in the
southwestern United States, with steep
sides and a flat top. Mesameans “table” in
Spanish.
mestizo The Spanish word for “mixed,”
referring to a person of mixed Native Amer-
ican and European ancestry.
mission The place of residence and activi-
ties of missionaries. Early Spanish missions
in North America sometimes included a
military fort, or presidio.
missionaries Individuals who undertake
religious work, usually in remote or foreign
areas, and often with the goal of converting
those they encounter. Early Catholic mis-
sionaries in America established a string of
missions with churches and schools to
educate Native Americans and convert
them from their own religious beliefs to
Christianity.
Moor An Arabic-speaking Muslim from
northwestern Africa. Moors were often
some combination of the indigenous
Berbers of North Africa, Arabs from the
Middle East, and sub-Saharan black
Africans.
mulatto A Spanish word derived from the
Arabic for “mixed birth,” it refers to a person
of mixed African and European ancestry.Glossary B 185