Chapter 2, lesson 5: Civilizations in the Americas Flashcards
The _______society was first known civilization in Mesoamerica, and their name means _________________
Olmec, rubber people
The Olmec people appeared around _________
1200 BC
Where did the Olmec people live?
South of Veracruz
the Olmec had _________ cities that were centers of _____________
large cities, Religious rituals
definition of a ritual:
a ceremony or a rite
the oldest Olmec city was _____________
San Lorenzo
in La Venta, there was a ________with carved ___________that probably represented their ________________
30 ft high pyramid, stone heads, gods or rulers
Why are the huge heads remarkable?
Metal tools
the Olmec civilization decline around _________
400 BC
What Olmec tradition influenced later Mesoamerican societies?
the ceremonial game of stone ball court, a fascination with a jaguarlike god, olmec calendar and numerical system
Around ________, the ______________ created a civilization that overlooked the city of _______________
500 BC, zepotec peoples, Oaxaca
the center of this civilization was ___________
Monte Alban
What similarities were there between the Olmec and Zapotec peoples?
Temples and pyramids
the Zapotec lived in ____________________
terraces cut into the sides of the mountian
Describe the social order of the Zapotec.
An elite class of nobles and priests ruled over a population composed chiefly of artisans and farmers
Monte Alban was abandoned in the ______________
late eighth century AD
the first major city in Mesoamerica was ______________, which meant the ____________________
Teotihuacan, place of the gods
this early kingdom lasted from around __________ to ___________
250 BC, 800 AD
Teotihuacan had ________________ inhabitants.
200,000
The city’s main road was called _________________. __________ and _____________ were built along this thoroughfare.
Avenue of the Dead, Temples and palaces
the largest building was the monument of _________________
Pyramid of the Sun
Teotihuacan’s economy was based primarily on ___________. but it was also a center for _________
farming, trade
the artisans of this civilization were famous for their
obsidian tools
Where were the Teotihuacan’s goods shipped to?
Central america, Mexica and southwestern North America
the city’s power ___________ during the ___________ and the __________ left the city around __________
declined, 8th century, ruling class, 800 AD
People residing in the city of _______ and people of the _______ culture lived in __________ before the ________
Caral, chavin, south America, Inca
Complex societies first emerged in the:
costal regions of modern day Peru and Ecuador
The ________ river valley is located in Peru
Supe
The oldest major city in the Americas was ____________. It first appeared around _____________
Caral, 2500 BC
The city’s buildings were made of _____________ and were used for: ______________________
stone, official business, as apartment buildings and as grand residences
The people of Caral developed a:
sophisticated system of irragation
The major crops were __________, ___________ & _________
squash, beans and tomatoes
Caral was abandoned around _____________
2000 BC and 1500 BC
Around _______ the Chavin built stone temples in the_____________
900 BC, coastal regions of modern day Peru and ecuador
the Chavin temple was surrounded by:
two pyramids and stone figures depicting different gods
around ________, the Chavin build the most impressive technological building, which was a _____________ near _________
300 BC, solar observatory, present day Lima Peru
The Chavin had a simple __________
writing system
the Chavin culture declined around _______
200 BC
Mesoamerica refers to the areas of:
Mexico and central America where ancient empires flourished.
