History Chapter 13: Civilizations Of The Americas

Front 1

american "indians"

Back 1

indigenous peoples of the americas that included mayans, incas, and aztecs; geographical misconception

Front 2

mesoamerica

Back 2

area of present-day mexico and central america

Front 3

chinampas

Back 3

enormously productive floating gardens built by amerindians

Front 4

olmecs

Back 4

peoples living in southern veracruz and western tabasco; developed a sophisticated system of symbols; sophisticated cities; human sacrifice; all later mesoamerican culutres derive from them

Front 5

maya

Back 5

peoples that attained a level of unequaled intellectual and artistic achievement; writing, calendar, math; culture rested on agriculture

Front 6

teotihuacan

Back 6

great commercial and ceremonial center of Mexico; a mecca for pilgrims

Front 7

toltecs

Back 7

assimilated with the teotihuacan culture to absorb and preserve it; extended their rule over most of central mexico

Front 8

mexica

Back 8

dominant ethnic people of island capital tenochtitlan-tlaleolco

Front 9

aztecs

Back 9

warrior society that lived in valley of mexico and were looked upon as foreign barbarians; assimilated with toltecs and embarked on policy of territorial expansionism

Front 10

huitzilopochtli

Back 10

chief war god who fed the sun with human blood to keep the sun moving

Front 11

montezuma II

Back 11

aztec ruler that was ruled by sacrifice and attempted to reforms when faced with the spaniards

Front 12

maceualtin

Back 12

plebeian or working class that was the backbone of aztec society

Front 13

sipan

Back 13

villagers from northern peru that supplemented income by plundering cemeteries and pyramids; derived treasure from the moche

Front 14

moche

Back 14

civilization along northern peru coast that developed complex irrigation systems and built elaborate valleys; later inca technology based on them

Front 15

incas

Back 15

small militaristic and imperialistic group that became one of the most extraordinary empires in the world

Front 16

chunu

Back 16

freeze-dried potatoes made by subjecting potatoes alternately to nightly frosts and daily sun; kept unspoiled for years

Front 17

quechua

Back 17

official language of pachacuti that was forced upon conquered peoples; spread througout the andes

Front 18

mitima

Back 18

policy of colonization in which inhabitants of newly conquered territories were transferred to other parts of the empire

Front 19

mound builders

Back 19

culture that built dirt piles as burial chambers, many of which contain valuable artifacts; hierachical culture

Front 20

great serpent mound

Back 20

mound near the town of adena, ohio that is serpentine in shape; open mouth suggest that is is ready to swallow a huge egg