ANTH Exam 5
Tawantinsuyu
"The Four Territories, The Chinchasuyu to the North, the Qollasuyu to the South, the Antisuyu to the East and the Kuntisuyu to the West. This system of administrative division it is thought that it was created by the Incas.
Smoke shell
15th ruler of Copan. Finished and dedicated the hieroglyphic staircase.
El Paraiso
1800-1500 BC. 2 km from ocean. Oldest U-shaped ceremonial complex. Earliest center - but lil residential occupation. Monumental architecture. 250 m x 50 m x 10 m. 3 story platform that runs 2 and a half football fields in length
Temple of Quetzalcoatl (Featured Serpent)
200+ sacrificial victims found buried beneath the structure. Wearing upper jaw bones, and bound captives with hands tied behind backs. Shows us how in early years of Teotihuacan religion and sacrifice were important in development of rulers and politics. Imagery of (this) around the temple as well as water via sea n marine shells. Google eyes present n traced bac here.
Tzolkin (ritual calendar)
260 day cycle - also called the 'sacred almanac' of 20 days with numbers '1'-'13'.
Haab (secular calendar)
360 days w 5 unlucky days. Each day has it's own horoscope. 18 months of 20 days, if you combine them all you will get a 52 year round; date name is zotz
Sun/Moon Pyramid
6 construction phases. burial rituals associated w each construction,Burial 5 - assoc. w/ Buildin 6 (ca. 350 AD). only burial located at top of L buildin. termination 4 Building 5 - dedication for Building 6. Three individuals represented that r seated in lotus position, wrists in front - not bound. b/w 40 - 70 years old. showed extremely high status foreigners, perhaps Mayan covered with red ochre after placed in burial
Sipan
A Moche archaeological site in northern Peru that is famous for the tomb of El Señor de (Lord of), excavated by Walter Alva. It is considered to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the last thirty years, because the main tomb was found intact & undisturbed by thieves
El Mirador
A maze of pyramids and plazas. The most notable structures are three huge complexes; one is nicknamed "El Tigre", the other is called "La Danta" (or Danta) temple. The La Danta temple is one of the largest pyramids in the world.
Sechin Alto
A site located in the Lower Casma River Valley. It is the largest and most impressive of a number of Initial period ceremonial centers that were constructed along the Peruvian coast., Monumental platform, u-shaped structure.
Great Jaguar Paw
AKA Chak Tok Ich'aak I. Referred to for many years by his pre-decipherment nickname, Chak Tok Ich'aak I is the best known as Tikal's early rulers, given the many inscribed ceramics and monuments bearing his name.
Calpulli
An Aztec kin groupin used 2 organize rural n urban populations. Large house literally. Claimed dsent thru the male line from a common ancestor based on Tenochtitlan 4 quarter neighborhoods.
La Venta
An ancient island town of Middle America on the east coast of what is now Mexico; center of Olmec culture in 1000 B.C. surrounded by swamps and rivers. L scale earthen architecture. Underground offerings; buildin ova underground burials.
Maritime Foundations hypothesis
Andean civilization were founded by aquatic resources.
mit'a
Andean labor system based on shared obligations to help kinsmen and work on behalf of the ruler and religious organizations.
sumptuary laws
Any law designed to restrict excessive personal expenditures in the interest of preventing extravagance and luxury...usually on religious or moral grounds. Served as a means by which the social stratification that was so crucial to maintaining a stable, hierarchical political system would not be threatened.
Puuc Maya
Architecture style's found throughout the hills region of NW-ern Yucatan. Maya word which means "low range of hills." Constructed between 770 and 1000 A.D., the buildings usually face inward towards the center of the ceremonial plaza.
Pochteca
Aztec merchants. Extremely wealthy. Had a huge quantity of material goods etc. But explicitly forbidden to take part in political hierarchy so as not to throw off the balance of power.
Quetzalcoatl
Aztec nature god, feathered serpent, his disappearance and promised return coincided with the arrival of Cortes.
tonatiuh
Aztec sun god constantly threatened by the tasks of his daily birth @ sunrise, by his death each sunset, and by the immense effort of makin his journey across the sky each day. According to tradd, the gods themselves were believed to practice voluntary sacrifice, first to create him and then to feed him and encourage him on his path through the sky. The worship of him, whose sustenance required human blood and hearts, involved militaristic cults and the practice of frequent human sacrifice to ensure perpetuation of the world.
Ehecatl
Aztec wind god who features in Aztec mythology and the mythologies of other cultures from the central Mexico region of Mesoamerica. An important 'aspect' (or guise) of the great creator god Quetzalcoatl.
Codex (Codices)
Book used by early Mesoamerican civilizations to record important historical events
Nazca lines
Can be seen from the sky and are outlines of animals and shapes in the surface of the Peruvian desert. Religious offerins were made along this
Tula
Capital center of the Toltec civilization c AD 900-1160. Originally a site for trade but turned in2 a site for temples, pyramids, n ball courts after royal invasion. Torn down wen the Toltec empire fell apart.
Chavin d Huantar
Center of culture - urban religious and trading center with a population of about 3000 farmers, craftspeople and others. Source of much Andean art n ideology.
Tenochtitlan
Center of religious and ceremonial divisions. Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.
Huaca
Cerro Blanco. Temple. Xcavatin plaza (around) not just architecture.
Templo Mayor
Characterized by Huitzilopochtli, sun deity, adult (M) sacrifice, Tlaloc, water fertility, n infant sacrifice (Children tears represents rebirth n regrowth). 2 diff buildins 4 2 of the diff Gods.
Monte Alban
Chief center of Zapotec culture in S-ern Mexico during preclassic period; contemporary with Olmec culture; based on irrigated agriculture and calendrical and writing systems
Moche
Civilization of north coast of Peru (200-700 C.E.). An important Andean civilization that built extensive irrigation networks as well as impressive urban centers dominated by brick temples.
Uaxactun
Classic Maya city in the Mesoamerican lowlands dfeated by its neighbor Tikal in AD 378 w the blossomin of Classic Maya civilization. Fostered a powerful royal dynasty that dpicted rulers w sacrificial victims cowerin @ their feet.
Fire born
Comin from the W (Teotihuacan). Outsider that represents Teotihuacan that sets up stuff 4 the nxt ruler.
Classic Maya Period
Considered the height of the civilization, characterized by great accomplishments like distinctive writing and calendric systems, painted ceramics, corbelled vault architecture, major public architecture with pyramids, palaces, ball courts
Postclassic Maya Period
Death of Mayan civilization. Murals dpicted this civilizations.
portrait vessels
Depictions of deity & ritual life; Also daily life; "sex pots"
Sun pyramid
E of street of the dead. Bigger than moon pyramid. Built ova caves as a possible means of protection. This hasn't been xcavated but the site underneath it has.
Tres Zapotes
Engraved stone slab with Olmec script
San Bartolo
Fame derives from its splendid Late-Preclassic mural paintings still heavily influenced by Olmec tradition and from examples of early and as yet undecipherable Maya script. The Maya site includes an 85-foot pyramid, a temple, n an early royal tomb.
Swidden farmin
Farming that entails the cutting down of forests, burning of tress, and growing crops for 2-5 years, then moving because nutrients are too low, a inefficient method
Wat was the role of tribute in the Aztec mpire?
Feathers, jaguar skin. Things that were perishable n xotic were used by the elites. Wealth
Copan
Great city built by the Mayas which is now the present day city of Honduras
Moon pyramid
Had phases of further construction. Anchors the N-ern end of the downtown area.
U shaped architecture
Has a large extension in the Andes if defined simply as a space enclosed on three sides by mounds. Three coastal traditions emerged utilizing this layout.
Chac n Chichen Itza
In post-Classic times, human sacrifice became associated with the rain god, and the priests who held the arms and legs of the sacrificial victims were termed this.
split inheritance
Inca practice of descent; all titles and political power went to successor, but wealth and land remained in hands of male descendants for support of cult of dead Inca's mummy.
Wat's the evidence that kingship dveloped in the Maya lowlands prior 2 the Classic Period?
Increase in the amount of religious landmarks n rituals. Murals n paintins w rich scale imagery that mite dpict real landmarks. Scale of civilization in general.
Paracas
Indian tribe of southern Peru known for making beautifully woven materials and embroidery
Excentric flints
Intact head shapin 2 show prestige (elite)
quipu
Knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the inca to keep financial records
Corbeled vault
Like construction method, which uses architectural technique to span a space or void in a structure. Technique to support the superstructure of a building's roof. Distinguished architecture of the Mayans from their neighbors.
Sacbe
Literally, "white road"; a Maya stone causeway linking Maya buildings and settlements
Hieroglyphic stairway (Copan)
Longest Mayan text
Tikal
Lowland Guatemala early ruler as "outsider". Matacapan - southern southern Gulf Coast. Classic Maya city, which reached the height of its power in AD 200-600.
staff god
Major deity in Andean cultures. Oldest depiction 2 b found in Americas, The "creator" of many Andean peoples. Originally held shells, depictin gender complementarity. 1-ce cultivation practices bcame more essential 2 society in the Early horizon, this idol was recreated 2 hold ears of corn.
Chac
Mayan god of rain, especially important in the Yucatán region of Mexico where he was depicted in Classic times with protruding fangs, large round eyes, and a proboscis-like nose.
chinampa
Method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which uses small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico. "Floating gardens"
Pacal the Great
Modern king of Chiapas Mexico. Most famous for raisin the city of Palenque from relative obscurity 2 power, his buildin projects in the city (especially the Temple of the Inscriptions), and his elaborately carved sarcophagus lid.
Aztlan
Mythical ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. Mythical homeland of the Uto-Aztecan peoples."The Place of seven caves"
Kukulcan
Name of a Maya snake deity that also serves to designate historical persons. The dpiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica.
Tiwanaku
Name of capital city and empire centered on the region near Lake Titicaca in modern Bolivia (375-1000 C.E.). Traded w a wide region datin. Economic n religious focus. Monumental structures in center of site. copper technology.
Oaxaca Barrio
Neighborhood of foreign residents distinguished by their burial practices.
Wat r 2 possible factors that contributed 2 the collapse of the Classic Maya?
Nvironmental dgradation n pressure on the labor force (drought, erosion, n dforestation). Dpletion of good resources. Variety of society, political n social.
Lanzon
Old Temple. Human jaguar characteristics. Olmec connection w the were jaguar.
trepanation
Opening a hole in ones skull as a cure for mental disorders; releasing evil spirts
Chichen Itza
Originally a Mayan city; conquered by Toltecs circa 1000 and ruled by Toltec dynasties; architecture featured pyramid of Feathered Serpent (Quetzacoatl). located on Yucatan peninsula.
Toltec
People who invaded central Mexico and were ruled by a military class; had a capital city of Tula; influenced the Maya; introduced the working of gold and silver; spread the worship of their god Quetzalcoatl; destroyed in the AD 1100s
Tollan
People who live in Tula. Stubborn 2 the point of arrogance, and believe any species with lesser technology than theirs is "inferior." Their highest law forbids them from sharing any of their technology with a less-advanced species. Yet they have been valued allies of Earth.
Huaquero
Person who secretly excavates at archaeological sites for the purpose of obtaining marketable antiquities; a looter.
Wat's the evidence 4 authoritarian rule @ Teotihuacan?
Political, economic, and religious forces. Mainly feathered serpents n necklace 2 teeth (sacrificial activity) dedication 4 temple. Value on the temple suggests the hold on power.
stirrup spouted vessels
Pottery; resembles tea pot that r part of the Moche civilization. Seal imagery on vessel representin an important fauna; seal used 4 food n clothin. Dot in front of mouth's associated w a dot or speech bubble like in lowland Mexico. Animated.
Chimu
Powerful lowland kingdom in Andes; irrigation systems, capital city Chanchan, had well defined social order. Controlled the flow of water down slopes (12 rivers), many hectares of cultivable land n farmin w hoes or diggin sticks.
chacmool
Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican stone statue. Dpicts a human figure in a reclining position with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach
Dos Pilas
Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. Used the same Mblem glyph form as Tikal. Place expanded and in effect controlled jade and obsidian routes.
alpaca/llama/vicuna (camelids)
Provides wool, meat n transportation.
Tlaloc
Rain god of Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central America) that could send rain n provoke hunger. Children were sacrificed 2 him.
Yax Ch'aktel Xok
Ruler of the new dynasty bginnin in the 200. (1st Scaffold Shark)
Tatiana Proskouriakoff
Russian-American Mayanist scholar and archaeologist who contributed significantly to the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphs, the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica.
Cuicuilco
SW part of the Valley. Affected by eruption ca 1000 BC. Caused people 2 move 2 the NE 2ward Teotihuacan.
Raised fields
Slashin forests n burnin vegetation n use ground 4 agriculture 4 10-15 yrs. Due 2 the fact that there wasn't a lot of fertile soil. Burnin soil gives the ground more nutrients. More input nergy than output nergy (leadin 2 starvation).
Huitzilopochtli
Sun god, and the financial person of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.
Long count
System of dating in the Maya calendar according to the time in numbers of baktuns, katuns, tuns, uinals, and days elapsed since an arbitrary point prior to 3000 b.c. Bar = 5 n dot =1. Base 20 system. Arranged in 5 groups.
Street of the Dead
Teotihuacan; "Michigan Ave"; burials (some voluntary, some involuntary)
Olmec
The 1st Mesoamerican civilization. People of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization that included intensive agriculture, wide-rangin trade, ceremonial centers, art styles, down turned mouth (jaguar), cleft head, portable pottery figurines, n monumental construction.
Preclassic (Formative period)
The early stages of Maya civilization c 1500 BC - AD 250. The 1st sign of political and social complexity appear in many parts of highland n lowland Mesoamerica btween 2000 n 1000 BC.
Teotihuacan
The first major civilization of central Mexico, this was a city-state whose ruins lie just outside of Mexico City.
sacred Cenote
The heart of Chichén Itzá, dedicated to the Chac God, the Maya God of rain and lightening occasional sacrifices r made here.
San Lorenzo
The oldest known site of an Olmec (earliest major) community, which has giant stone monuments set among earthen structures. Fishin/farmin along Coatazacoaticas River. Colossal heads n stone thrones. Civilization usually starts by rivers n then branch out.
Middle Horizon
The period (600-1000 AD) marked by the rise of two powerful states in South America--Tiwanaku in the southern highlands and Wari, whose capital was located in the Ayacucho Valley in central Peru.
Early Horizon
The period (approximately 900-200 BC) traditionally defined as the time when artistic influences from the site of Chavin de Huantar in the the Peruvian highlands spread across much of central n northern Peru.
Lake Titicaca
The worlds highest navigable, which is in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. The area surrounding this was one of the centers of early Native American civilization and it holds many architectural remains from the distant past.
Michael Moseley
Took part in excavation of a Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) site in Ambrona, Spain, under F. Clark Howell in 1963, a survey and excavation of Cauca Valley sites in Colombia as assistant director of the Cambridge University Second Colombian Expedition in 1964, and an excavation of preceramic and early agricultural sites in central Peru from 1966 to 1967.
Tzompantli/skull rack
Type of wooden rack or palisade documented in several Mesoamerican civilizations, which was used for the public display of human, typically those of war captives or other sacrificial victims.
Caral
Very old city, norte chico, considered mother city, c. 2600BCE - c. 3000BCE. An early coastal ceremonial center on the Peruvian coast n abandoned btween 2000 n 1500 BC 4 unknown reasons.
Mayapan
Where the Mayans lived; elaborate settlements with religious and ceremonial structures
syllabary
Writing system whose characters represent syllables
Aztec (Culhua-Mexica)
group from the north that invaded central Mexico; were first wandering warriors; built their capital city at Tenochtitlan; increased their power until they dominated central Mexico; built causeways, pyramids, marketplaces, and palaces; adopted many customs from other cultures; used chinamapas for farming; militaristic society; known for human sacrifice and dedication to the sun god; ended when conquered by Spanish explorers in the 1500s
Palenque
place; ancient Mayan ruins. Beautiful and amazing architecture. Tomb helped decipher Mayan history. found written language on tomb of Pacal. Declined when the Mayan culture turned against itself when warfare occurred because of drought. began fighting over food and land.
apartment compound
single-story living quarters: 60-100 persons. Interior buildings, courtyards, with stone walls. Temple platform within courtyard. Occupied by genetically related males
Xochiyaotl (Flower Wars)
staged battles for captive that increased prestige w the use of sacrificial victims. Goal 2 prevent the victims from runnin away. Agreement/tribute 1-ce every couple yrs.
Ciudadela
very large compound in Teotihuacan that includes a large courtyard where the Temple of the Feathered Serpent is located
