EVIDENCES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DURING PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES Flashcards
EVIDENCES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DURING PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES
- OLMEC
- MAYA
- AZTEC
- INCA
First great Mesoamerican
civilization
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
Thrived along Southern gulf
coast of Mexico, mainly in
present-day states of
Veracruz and Tabasco
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
Colossal head made of stone
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
Olmec means “__________” in Nahuatl, the language of Aztec
rubber people
refers to the ancient practice of Olmecs to Aztecs of extracting latex from Castilla elastic, a rubber tree in the area.
“Rubber people”
Olmecs constructed permanent city-temple
complexes at San Lorenzo
Tenochitlan, La Venta, Tres
Zapotes, and Laguna de los
Cerros. The principal architectural structure found in
____________ was the vast
clay pyramid decorated with elaborate carvings.
La Venta ruins
They cultivated cacao,
rubber and salt.
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
Used an elaborate water and
drainage system.
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
They manufactured chocolate
drinks
OLMEC CIVILIZATION
Evidence shows that the _____
practiced human sacrifice and
cannibalism.
Olmec
Animal gods were features of
their culture.
Olmec
La Venta declined around _________, and the Olmec civilization
vanished along with it.
400 BC
MAYA CIVILIZATION
Lived in present-day
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
One of the most important pre Columbian Mesoamerican
cultures
Maya
Credited for remarkable achievements in
astronomy, engineering, medicine, and
mathematics.
MAYA CIVILIZATION
Their architecture was
manifested in the grandeur of
their tall pyramids with temple
of limestones, with small
temples on the top
constructed like an arch.
MAYA CIVILIZATION
In astronomy, they tracked the
movement of the stars and
planets across the sky, and were able to predict eclipses. Venus was their most important astronomical object
MAYA CIVILIZATION
MAYA CIVILIZATION
________ was their most important astronomical object.
Venus
The Mayans discovered an
accurate calendar. The ritual
calendar that developed in
Mesoamerica used a count of
______ days.
260
Their written language was
made up of about 800 glyphs,
or symbols.
Maya
They also produced rubber products.
Maya
Established their city of
Tenochtitlan, present-day
Mexico City in 1325 AD.
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
Known as violent people who
expanded their empire through ruthless warfare
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
Made human sacrifices,
involving the removal of
beating hearts to appease to their many
gods
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
Practiced a highly organized system of government and language - Nahuatl.
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
Language of Aztec
Nahuatl
Aztec’s tools were made with
obsidian and chert
Aztec’s Axe blades, bows and arrows were being made with either
stone or copper
They were familiar with the
wheel. However, this was used
only in toys.
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
developed dugout
canoes with which they
transported themselves and
their goods throughout the
many canals, lakes, and waterways found in
the Valley of Mexico.
Aztecs
Their astronomy heavily
reflected on their gods.
Aztec
They were advanced in the
development of medicine
like ointments, drinks, and
salves.
Aztec
This spectacular area of Aztec
technology has been
recorded in the __________________, created by Aztec artists in 1552.
Badianus Manuscript
Flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century AD
INCA CIVILIZATION
One of the Inca civilization’s
most famous surviving
archaeological sites is _____________, built as a retreat
place for an Incan emperor.
Machu Picchu
Their empire was Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Corners,” the largest empire in pre-Columbian America
INCA CIVILIZATION
Tawantinsuyu means
Land of the Four Corners
official language of Inca Civ. was
Quechua
Inca is the modern day
Peru
They are rich in maize (corn)
and dried llama, coca leaves
and alcohol
Inca
Coca leaves were used to
lessen hunger and pain during
work, but mostly used for
religious and health purposes as well as during surgeries as an anesthetic
Inca
Mummification of individuals
was an important part of _____
funerary rites
Inca
In Inca, ________is described as being the “month of carrying the dead,” a time when people would try to feed the mummies of their ancestors.
November
In Inca, _______ was their finest grade of cloth, being reserved for the emperor and nobility
Cumpi
In Inca, objects were made out of
gold and silver
The _________ was
essentially lunisolar, as two
calendars were maintained in
parallel, one solar and one
lunar. Equinoxes, solstices,
and Venus cycles are
observed.
Inca calendar
- assemblages of
knotted strings used as mnemonic devices
or to record numerical data, and also believed to record history and literature.
Quipu
Quipu
Inca
They made many discoveries in
medicine, and performed
successful skull surgeries.
Inca
In Inca, the most basic unit of distance was
thathiy or thatki, or one pace
Inca weaponry included:
Bronze or bone-tipped spears; two-handed wooden swords with serrated edges; clubs with stone and spiked metal heads; woollen slings and stones; bolas (stones fastened to lengths of cord)
