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83 Cards in this Set
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mesoamerica
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area that stretches south from central mexico to the northern reaches of modren-day honduras
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Olmec
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mesoamericas first known civilzation builders
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where did the olmec start their socierty?
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southern mexico, on the gulf coast
in modern day mexican states of veracruz and tabasco |
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when?
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1200bc
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what is olmec often called?
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mesoamericas "mother culture"
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why?
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bc they influenced neighboring groups, as well as the later civilizations of the region
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when did the olmecs flourish from?
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1200 bc-400 bc
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climate of gulf coast
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hot and humid
covered with swamps and jungle a lot of rain that caused severe flooding |
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advantages to the region
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deposits of salt, tar, and clay
stone from hills for tools rivers for transportation fertile land for farming |
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oldest Olmec site
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San Lorenzo 1150 bc
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how was san lorenzo organized?
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home to small ruling class of piests and nobles that may have commanded large group of peasant farmers living in surrounding areas
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La Venta
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significant olmec site where mounds of earth and clay were found, called the Great Pyramid
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what might the great pyramid have been?
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the center of the olmec relgion
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what spirit did most olmec worship?
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the jauguar spirit, half-man, half jaguar
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olmec trade
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were a prosperous people and had a large trading network throughout mesoamerica
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how far did they trade?
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mexico city north
honduras south |
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why do scholars believe olmec collapsed?
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1. outside invaders caused the destruction
2. olmec may have destroyed their own monuments upon the death of their rulers |
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did the olmec have wirrten records?
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no
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zapotec
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another people who dveloped n advanced society
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where did they live?
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in what is now the mexican state of Oaxaca
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oaxaca valley
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has fertile soil, mild climate, and enough rainfall to support agriculture
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what is the rest of oaxaca's climate like
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hot and dry
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san jose mogote
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the main power in the zapotec region
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what are 2 accomplishments of the zapotec?
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1. hieroglyphics writing
2. calendar system |
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Monte Alban
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the first real urban center built by the zapotecs on tip of a mountain
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when did the zapotec begin to decline?
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some time after ad 600
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when did they begin?
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by the time the olmec collapsed
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why do scholars think the zapotec declined?
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they may have suffered a loss of trade or other economic difficulties
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olmec leaves mark
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influenced maya
-pattern of urban design -notions of planned ceremonial cneters, ritual ball games, and elite ruling class -carved out stone symbols that influenced later glyph writing |
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zapotec contributions
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-hieroglyphics
-calendar system based on the sun -americas first city builders |
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where did south americas first civilizations emerge>
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in the northern andes region, in what is now peru
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why was peeru a difficult place to launch a civilization?
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andes are steep and rocky w/ poor soil
hot and dry during the day, freezing at night |
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where did the first settlements occur?
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in rivers valleys where rivers cross the desert on their path from the mountains to the sea
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what were the first inhabitants along the pacific coast like?
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they were hunter-gatheres who relied on seafood and small fame for their survival
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when did they start to farm?
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around 3000 bc
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Chavin
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first influential civilization in south america
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where was it ligcated?
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in the northern highlands of peru, in the mountains
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when did it florush from?
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around 900 bc to 200 bc
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why do archaeologists conclude that the chavin were primarily a religious civilization?
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they found no evidence of poolitical or economic organization within the culture
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how did the chavin act as a "mother culture"
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it may have established certain patterns that helped unify andean culture and lay the foundation for later civilations in peru
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nazca
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culture that flourished along the southern coast of peru from around 200 bc to ad 600
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since the area was extremely dry what did the nazca do?
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they devleoped extensive irrigation systems
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what are they known for?
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their beautiful textiles and pottery that feature images of animals and mythological beings
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nazca lines
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made huge drawings by scpraing away stones to reveal lighter soil underneath
depicted animals and plants -are so big they can only be seen from the air |
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why do scientists bleieve the nazaca made nazca lines
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for their gods
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where was moche culture
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northern coast of peru
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when did it last from?
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ad 100 to ad 700
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how did they take advantage of the rivers that flowed from the andes mountains?
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they built irrigation systems to water their crops
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what did their tombs uncover?
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enormous wealth
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what did their pottery show and why is it helpful?
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scenes from overday life that provide detail of their life since they didnt have a written language
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what questions remain about the moche?
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relgious beliefs, why moche fell
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beringia
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land bridge from asia to the americas
how experts believe the first ppl came to the americas |
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when did the first americans come?
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toward the end of the last ice age
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when did the last ice age last from
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1.6 million to 10,000 bc
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ice age
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period where huge sheets of moving ice, called glaciers, spread southward from the artcitc circle. coered large protions of north america. lowered sea levels and created beringia
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the very first americans
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herds of wild animals came across the land bridge and siberian hunters follow
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range of years the first americans arrived
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40,000 BC TO 12,000 BC
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Clovis, new mexico
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where the earliest evidence of humankind in the americas is found, dating back to 9500 bc
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monte verde chile
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evidence of human life dating back to 10,500 bc
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how else could ppl have got to america besides the land bridge?
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paddled from asia to the pacific coast in small boats
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what kind of people were the earliest americans?
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hunters
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what was their most challenging and rewarding prey?
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the mastodon
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why do they think the earliest americans were hunters
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they found chiseled spearheads and charred bones at ancient sites
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what did the earliest americans find it necessary to do bc they were hhunters?
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they moved regularly in search of food. when they did settle in one place for a short time, they lived in caves or temporary shelters
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what happened at the end of the ice age around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago?
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the great glaciers melted and rose the sea levels. the land gridge disappeared under the berling straight
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when did people inm exico begin to grow edible plants?
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5000 bc
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maize
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corn
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when did early farmers start growing maize?
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3400 bc
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what did maize soon become?
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the most important crop
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Tehuacan Valley
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south of present-day mexico
where people settled in permanent villages |
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chinampas
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floating gardens that were very productive and yielded up to three harvests a year
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what did the cultivation of corn and other crops do?
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-provided a more reliable and expanding food supply
-encouraged population growth and the establishment of large, settled communities -farming become more effiecent and ppl turned their attention to nonagricultural puersuits -difference in social classes emerged |
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they worshipped the jaguar spirit
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olmec
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they are considered a "mother culture"
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olmec
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2 ancient ppl of mesoamerica
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olmec and zapotec
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they developed a means of moving massive sculptures
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olmec
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they dominated oaxaca for more than a thousand years
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zapotec
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they are well-known for sculpting monumental stone heads
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olmec
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the remains of their communities have been discovered at san lorenzo and la centa
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olmec
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which society's influence is demonstrated to us primarily through the spread of its art styles and religious images?
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chavin
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which society sppears to have been extraordinarily wealthy and enjoyed a widely varied diet?
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moche
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which society is believed, based on images found on its artworks, to have been headhunters?
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nazca
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which sciety is considered the first influential society in south america?
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chavin
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