Olmecs, Maya, Aztec, & Incas Vocab and Events

Allowed people to stop migrating as hunters/gatherers and begin to live in permanent settlements

Agricultural Revolution

Large lake, upon which the Aztecs built their capital city of Tenochtitlan (after seeing an eagle, perched on a prickly pear cactus, eating a snake, which was a symbol told to them by the gods)

Lake Texcoco

Formed during last ice age between Siberia and Alaska, and allowed people to cross from Asia to the Americas (after following migrating animals).

Land Bridge

The Mayan "Fort City"

Palenque

Where was the Inca empire located?

Peru

Mayan ball game, which had religious significance and sometimes resulted in the sacrifice of a team-captain

Pok-a-Tok

What type of religion did the Mayans have?

Polytheistic

Major crop of the Inca

Potatoes

Language of the Inca, still spoken in some areas of Peru and Chile

Quechua

Feathered serpent god, who was said to have been cast out into the Gulf of Mexico and promised to return in the Aztec year "1 Reed" (same year, 1519 CE, Hernan Cortes arrived

Quetzalcoatl

Knotted, colored pieces or string, used by the Inca to keep records

Quipus

What was the most important part of Aztec society?

Religion

Leader of the Inca empire

Sapa Inca

Technique, used in jungles of the Yucatan, to create and fertilize farmland

Slash-and-Burn

Deadly disease, brought to the Americas by the Conquistadors, that caused the death of millions of Native American people

Smallpox

One possible explanation for why the Maya left their cities around 900 CE, this means to overuse farmland, without fertilizing it

Soil Exhaustion

How did the Incas farm?

Step Terraces

What were some Incan achievements?

Surgery, System of Roads

Capital city of Aztec people, featuring causeways connecting it to the mainland, along with aqueducts that brought fresh water to the city

Tenochtitlan

Large pre-Aztec civilization, who left behind ruins of their city, which featured enormous temples of the sun and moon

Teotihuacan

Step cut into mountainsides to create flat farmland

Terraces

How did the Mayans record history?

They carved it into pillars

How did the Incan Military treat people?

They said they could keep all of their customs and ruler, as long as they were loyal to the empire

How did the Aztec decide where to build their empire?

They were told the gods to look for a sign, an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. When they found the sign near Lake Texcoco, they built stuff

Inca Sun God

Inti

Spanish explorers that explored/conquered parts of the Americas

Conquistador

Early Mesoamerican society, famous for building temples, having a polytheistic religion and creating giant stone heads

Olmecs

Andes Mountain range where the Inca society developed

Cuzco

Why did the Mayans leave their city?

1. Warfare changed farming 2. Over farming ruined soil 3. Disease

Long, bridge-like structures, that brought fresh water to Tenochtitlan from the surrounding hills

Aqueduct

Mesoamerican society, located in the Valley of Mexico, dominated much of the area around Lake Texcoco and performed massive amounts of human sacrifice

Aztecs

To trade goods or services in exchange for other goods or services

Barter

Long, straight road, connecting the city of Tenochtitlan to the mainland

Causeway

Inca relay messengers, who lived in huts one mile apart from one another

Chasquis

Mayan city that features large pyramid known as "El Castillo", as well as an observatory, pok-a-tok court, and many other buildings

Chichen Itza

Artificial islands, built by the Aztecs, in order to create additional farmland

Chinampa

Servants to Inti and the Sapa Inca, who made clothing and golden plates/utensils

Chosen Women

Independent political units, made up of a city and its surrounding lands

City-State

Mayan books, made of bark, used to keep records

Codex

How did the Aztecs farm?

Floating Gardens

Spanish conquistador that conquered Inca empire

Francisco Pizarro

Written/carved inscriptions that represent words, phrases, or sounds

Glyph

South American civilization that conquered much of Andes region in 1400-1500s

Incas

The roads, bridges, buildings, etc that need to be built in order for a society to function properly

Infrastructure

What was the emperor's power like in the Aztec empire?

He was the ultimate ruler and was treated like god

What were some Aztec accomplishments?

Herbs & Medicine, Fix broken bones, Treat Cavities, Accurate calendar

Spanish leader that led 500 conquistadors to victory over Aztecs (by taking advantage of other tribes' anger towards Aztecs, better weapons/armor, and small pox

Hernan Cortes

Bodies found atop Andes, which have been preserved due to the low temp

High Mummies

Sun God of Aztecs

Huitzilopochtli

How did the Aztecs please the Gods?

Human Sacrifice

Animals, domesticated by the Inca, used for carrying goods, wool, meat, etc.

Llamas and Alpacas

5,125 year period of time, based on the combination of Religious and Solar calendars

Long-Count Calendar

"Lost" city of the Inca, located high atop Andes Mountains

Machu Picchu

Major crop of the Maya and Aztecs

Maize

Mesoamerican society that lived on the Yucatan peninsula and mysteriously left their large cities around 900 C.E.

Mayas

What were some Mayan achievements?

Number system, Glyphs, Concept of Zero, Solar Calendar

Volcanic glass, which can act as a sharp cutting tool/weapon

Obsidian

Last Emperor of the Aztecs

Moctezuma II

Aztec language

Nahuatl

Where was the Aztec empire located?

Northern Mexico

What was the largest empire in the Americas?

The Incan Empire

How did the Mayans make money?

Through trading

Largest of the Mayan cities

Tikal

Payment paid to the Aztecs from a conquered region, in order to allow for that region to continue to exist and not be destroyed by the Aztec forces

Tribute

Mayan city located on the coast of the Yucatan

Tulum

Where was the Mayan Empire located?

Yucatan Peninsula