mesoamerica test study guide

what is a "virgin population"?

a population that hasn't been exposed to the type of germs circulated in places like Europe, Asia, and Africa. they have weak immune systems

what global feature greatly affected the development of early civilizations in Mesoamerica?

geography

where were the Mayans located?

mexico and central america

how did the members of higher classes treat Incas in lower classes?

most Incas in lower classes were workers, who were respected by all classes

what did the people have to do once the land was overworked by slash and burn?

move place to place in search for a new land to farm

why did the Inca empire end?

the Spanish Army (specifically Pizarro) defeated them in 1533 near Cuzco. they strangled the last Inca emperor to death

how did religion affect the way the Spaniards interacted with the Aztecs?

the Spanish king tried to introduce the god to Montezuma, but he wanted to stay committed to his own gods.

who was the primary god of Teotihuacan? why were they unique?

the Spider goddess, who was female

why did the Mesoamericans have to use slash and burn at the Yucatan Peninsula?

there was lots of rain and thick jungle foliage on the land

what main contribution did the Aztecs make for society?

they came up with Universal Education

what gods did the Incas worship?

they could worship their own gods as long as they agreed that the main was Inti. each god had a role

what did the Aztec Empire not have? how did this effect their vulnerability?

they did not have writing, coins, wheel, or metal. this made them easy pretty for invaders.

what was the time period of the Aztecs?

13th century-1521

what was the time period of the Incas?

1438 CE-1533 CE

what was the time period of the Mayans?

1800 BC-900 AD

how many sides is an isthmus surrounded by water on?

2

how many provinces of the empire did Cuzco have?

4

how many social systems did the Mayans have?

6 (very strict)

where were the Incas located?

Andes Mountains

why did the Aztec empire end?

Cortes/Spaniards defeated them in 1521 and Smallpox took out half their population.

what was the capital of the Incas?

Cuzco

what gods did the Aztecs worship?

Quetzacoatl (god of life) and Huitzilopochti (god of sun and war)

what was the isthmus of Mesoamerica called?

Tehuantepec

what city was at its peak when Rome was the largest city in Europe?

Teotihuacan

what kind of government did the Aztecs have?

Theocracy, king or emperor had all control

what was the capital of the Mayans?

Tikal

what was the economy made up of for the Aztecs?

agricultural goods, tribute, trade

why did the Mayan empire end?

all cities were mysteriously abandoned and vanished by 900 AD

what type of government did the Incas have?

an absolute monarchy

where is Mesoamerica geographically located?

between North and South America (aka Central America)

what is slash and burn agriculture?

burning plains for fertile soil and a cleared area

how did the ancient Mesoamericans adapt to the geography of the Andes Mountains?

by industrializing, revolutionizing, and adopting terrace farming

what type of economy did the Incas have?

command

what do the 3 civilizations have in common?

governments are similarly structured (1 or 2 mainly in control), worshipped many gods, located in South America, agriculture and goods helped economies significantly, and they all made different, but useful, contributions to society.

what is terrace farming?

growing crops on the sides of hills or mountains to make enough artificial flat land to grow crops

what did Montezuma represent to the Aztecs? what government was he apart of?

he represented god and was apart of an absolute monarchy

why was Montezuma concerned about the ships off the coast?

he thought that Quetzalcoatl, a vengeful god, was coming to rule the people in Mexico

how does Cortes and disease end up conquering the Aztecs?

he took Montezuma II prisoner and he was killed. Smallpox also wiped out more than half of the Aztecs, making them easier to conquer.

was Columbus a good person?

he was very selfish. he took credit for finding the land that one of the sailors found for the cash reward, which led to the sailor killing himself.

what type of government did the Mayans have?

hierarchy

what contributions did the Mayans make to society?

hieroglyphic writing, the concept of "0", the Mayan calendar, building without metal tools

which members of the Aztec social system participated in blood-letting?

higher members

what type of social system did the Aztecs have?

highly structured, hierarchy

who were the main rulers of the Mayan empire?

kings and priests

what is important about the social class of the Aztecs?

kings were considered as demigods

how did the city of Teotihuacan become wealthy (at least the reason we believe)?

obsidian deposits

what was the religion of the Mayans?

polytheism, catholicism, animalism, and human sacrifices

were all the civilizations monotheistic or polytheistic?

polytheistic

what contributions did the Incas make to society?

terrace farming and freeze-dried food

what is the legend of El Dorado?

the "golden man" or "city of gold"

what body of water separated Mesoamerica from the Old World?

the Atlantic Ocean

what group took over Teotihuacan? what is unique about the name of the city?

the Aztecs, who were the ones who gave the city its name

what is the difference between Renaissance Europe and the Aztec Empire?

the Europeans were much more advanced and had lots of art and advancements, while the Aztecs were solely focussed and devoted to war.

what movement was occurring in Europe during the height of the Aztec Empire?

the Renaissance

what was the motivation of the Spaniards and Cortes? how did he justify his conquest of Mesoamerica?

they knew there was land to conquer and liked the pyramids a lot. he used "spreading christianity" as his justification.

how did the Aztec empire grow so fast?

they were great warriors and expanded their territories to other empires.

what was the political and economic makeup of Mesoamerica after Teotihuacan collapsed?

they were inhabited by nomadic tribes and city-states.

who was at the top and bottom of the Mayan social system?

top- kings, priests, nobles bottom- servants, slaves, workers

what was the Mayans economy mainly based on?

trade and agriculture

slash and burn agriculture was used to provide what for early people of the Yucatan Peninsula?

useable farmland

how did the Mexica know when to settle?

when the saw an eagle with a snake in its mouth sitting on a cactus. a cactus was part of the Mexico flag