Mesoamerica

Question 1

Glyph

Answer 1

A symbol used as part of an ancient writing system made up of hieroglyphics, usually carved into substances

Question 2

Obsidian

Answer 2

A valuable material to the Aztecs. They sold obsidian blades, and it was highly valued.

Question 3

Inca Empire

Answer 3

The empire of the Incas, another Mesoamerican group of people

Question 4

Quipu

Answer 4

A recording device used for storing data and records

Question 5

Francisco Pizarro

Answer 5

The Spanish conquistador who tried to convert the Incas to Catholicism. After the Inca leader threw a Bible on the ground, he and his men attacked and gained control of the Incas and their land

Question 6

Yucatan

Answer 6

A Mayan city

Question 7

Codex

Answer 7

A book with pages that can be turned. The Mayans had three: the Dresden Codex, the Madrid Codex, and the Paris Codex (all named after the cities they are currently in). These codices mainly had astronomical events, zodiacs, and ways to predict solar eclipses and other astronomical events, but other stuff too.

Question 8

Quetzalcoatl

Answer 8

A mainly Aztec god (also was in other societies too under different names) called “Feathered Serpent”. For the Aztecs, he was the god of knowledge and learning, and was very creative. He was the positive opposite of Tezcatlipoca.

Question 9

Pachacuti

Answer 9

He was the ninth ruler of the Inca empire, ruled powerfully and ambitiously from 1438-1471. Under his rule, the incas conquered all of Peru. Machu Picchu probably built on land for him, many Incas thought he was a “son of God”

Question 10

Machu Picchu

Answer 10

The ruins of a city located high in the Peruvian mountains with palaces, plazas, temples, and homes. It was possibly a ceremonial site for religious purposes, no written reason why it exists, though. Aligns with astronomical events

Question 11

Mayan Empire

Answer 11

The empire of the Mayans, a Mesoamerican group of people

Question 12

Mestizo

Answer 12

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American (South American in this case) descent

Question 13

Tikal

Answer 13

An ancient Mayan city in Guatemala

Question 14

Popul Vuh

Answer 14

Mythology and cosmology of Mayan society, tells about the creation of man, the actions of the gods, the origin and history of the Mayans, no lists the Mayan kings up until 1550. It’s essentially the creation story of the Mayans

Question 15

Triple Alliance

Answer 15

An alliance made by three important cities, Texcoco, Tenochtitlán, and Tlacopan. This alliance was formed after defeating another army, and eventually evolved into the Aztec empire, with the ruler of Tenochtitlán being the supreme ruler of the empire.

Question 16

Quechua

Answer 16

Indigenous peoples in South America who speak Quechuan, the language of the Incas.

Question 17

Atahualpa

Answer 17

The last leader of the Inca people, or Sapa Inca, of the Incas before the Spanish came and took over. He was partly indirectly responsible for the Spanish having the chance at taking over (like we saw in Guns, Germs, and Steel).

Question 18

Encomienda

Answer 18

A system used by the Spanish conquering the (generally central and south) Americas. The Spanish allowed the Spanish colonists in the Americas to demand tribute and force labor from the Native Americans in an area.

Question 19

Cacao

Answer 19

The most common form of currency for the Aztecs, very important and central to their society. However, it was important to all societies as well.

Question 20

Aztec Empire

Answer 20

The empire of the Aztecs, another Mesoamerican people

Question 21

Cuzco

Answer 21

A city in the Peruvian Andes that was once the capital of the Inca empire.

Question 22

Colony

Answer 22

Groups of settlers from another country, or just a group of people. The Spanish created many colonies in Mesoamerica.

Question 23

Slash-and-Burn

Answer 23

The Aztecs used a strategy called milpa to improve their agriculture and its production. To supply a healthy amount of food to people, and to enable the farmers to have more than one crop per season, they would often clear and burn the area, and then grow it back. It was also good for the dirt.

Question 24

Valley of Mexico

Answer 24

The “heartland” of Aztec civilization.

Question 25

Tenochtitlán

Answer 25

The capital city and religious center of the Aztec civilization

Question 26

Allyu

Answer 26

A structure incorporated into the Inca government in which families were placed into groups that had one chief to lead. It was based on the decimal system.

Question 27

Conquistadors

Answer 27

The Spaniards who conquered Mesoamerica and founded Spanish colonies there, essentially creating the speaking foundations for the Spanish-speaking world we know there today.

Question 28

Terraces

Answer 28

A way of farming with elevated hills that were used by Mesoamerican societies to farm potatoes, maize, and other crops.

Question 29

Teotihuacan

Answer 29

A city-state just outside of Mexico. The middle was a central avenue with more than 20 pyramids for different gods. It means “City of the Gods” and was a center for a great trade network. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent was discovered in 1917, but the temple was built in 200 AD. At least 260 people were sacrificed and buried to make it, and it was called the Temple of Quetzalcoatl because it had many pictures of feathered serpents on it.

Question 30

Montezuma II

Answer 30

The ninth ruler of Tenochtitlán. The first contact between indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europeans began during his reign. He was killed by conquistadors.

Question 31

Mita

Answer 31

An Inca labor tribute that required all people to do work for the state for a certain number of days per year.

Question 32

Hernando Cortes

Answer 32

The Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec empire.