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Chagas' disease

(Encyclopedia)Chagas' disease, disease of South and Central America caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It usually affects children and young adults and is transmitted by the feces of infected insects, typica...

Florida, Straits of

(Encyclopedia)Florida, Straits of, passage, c.90 mi (145 km) wide, between the Florida Keys in the north and Cuba in the south. It connects the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. ...

altar

(Encyclopedia)altar, table or platform for the performance of religious sacrifice. In its simplest form the altar is a small pile, with a square or circular surface, made of stone or wood. Its features vary accordi...

Mixtón War

(Encyclopedia)Mixtón War mēstōnˈ [key], 1541, revolt of indigenous peoples against Spanish rule in Nueva Galicia, W Mexico. The conquest under Nuño de Guzmán had been particularly harsh and the encomienda sys...

Orizaba, mountain, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Orizaba, mountain peak: see Citlaltépetl. ...

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

(Encyclopedia)American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of autonomous labor unions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and U.S. dependencies, formed in ...

Motherwell and Wishaw

(Encyclopedia)Motherwell and Wishaw wĭshˈô [key], town (1991 pop. 30,616), North Lanarkshire, S central Scotland. The two parts of the town were united in 1920. Formerly a center of heavy industry (coal and stee...

Winthrop, John, 1606–76, colonial governor in America

(Encyclopedia)Winthrop, John, 1606–76, colonial governor in America, b. Groton, Suffolk, England; oldest son of John Winthrop (1588–1649). He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, became a lawyer, and emigra...

Hinckley and Bosworth

(Encyclopedia)Hinckley and Bosworth, district, Leicestershire, central England. Hosiery and shoes are the chief manufactures. Other industries are dyeing and engineer...

cochineal

(Encyclopedia)cochineal kŏchĭnēlˈ, kŏchˈĭnēl [key], natural dye obtained from an extract of the bodies of the females of the cochineal bug (Dactylopius confusus) found on certain species of cactus, especial...