MesoAmerican Exam Flashcards
What are the 5 core features that define a civilization?
Advanced cities, organized institutions (government & religion), record keeping, technology, and specialized workers.
How was the Maya government organized?
Independent city-states were ruled by hereditary kings (seen as semi-divine), with assistance from priests and nobles.
What type of religious beliefs did the Maya practice?
They were polytheistic, worshipping gods of war, corn, rain, and death; rituals included offerings of food, flowers, incense, and blood, plus some human sacrifices.
What are two key elements of Maya architecture?
They built pyramid temples (e.g., El Castillo at Chichen Itza) and ball courts that held religious significance.
How did the Maya record history and manage time?
They used glyphs (pictographs and syllables) and codexes (bark boods) for record keeping and developed complex calendars, including a 260-day religious calendar, as well as astronomy observatories aligned with celestial events (e.g., Venus).
What agricultural practices did the Maya use?
Farmers adapted to diverse terrains by using raised beds in swampy areas and terrace farming in highlands.
What goods and trade items were important in Maya commerce?
Their trade included stone, jade, obsidian, salt, feathers, textiles, paper, and jewelry; gold, copper, and cacao beans were sometimes used as currency.
What factors are believed to have contributed to the decline of the Maya?
Theories include civil wars, famine, and ultimately, the impact of Spanish conquest.
During which period did the Aztec civilization exist?
Approximately 1200–1500 CE.
What is Teotihuacan and why is it important to the Aztecs?
Teotihuacan was an influential ancient city in the Valley of Mexico whose architecture and layout influenced the Aztecs.
How and where was the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, built?
It was built on a lake in the Valley of Mexico, with buildings stabilized by driving tree trunks into the swampy ground.
How did the Aztecs expand their empire?
They expanded through fierce military conquests, establishing a tribute system wherein conquered provinces had to supply luxury goods.
What was the tribute system in the Aztec Empire?
Conquered regions provided tributes such as jade, feathers, leopard skins, amber, cocoa beans, and drinking cups; failure to pay had deadly consequences.
How did the Aztecs maintain communication across their empire?
A courier system with runners (messengers) enabled rapid message delivery between provinces.
What innovative farming technique did the Aztecs develop?
They built chinampas, artificial islands that allowed for 4 or more harvests per year.
What were the social classes in Aztec society?
They included supreme rulers/emperors, priests and nobles, merchants and artisans, peasants, and slaves.
What educational system did the Aztecs have?
They established public vocational schools for all young people—the first public schools in the Americas.
What was central to the Aztec religious system?
The worship of multiple gods, especially the Sun God Huitzilopochtli, and the practice of human sacrifice, partly to provide prisoners for ritual offerings as seen in the ‘Flower Wars.’
How did the Incan Empire begin and expand?
It began as a small kingdom near Cuzco in the Andes and expanded through military conquest to rule a 2,500-mile-long empire of about 16 million people.
What was the foundation of the Incan economy?
Agriculture, boosted by terrace farming, with key crops including potatoes, corn, quinoa, and the raising of guinea pigs for protein.
How did the Incas manage their vast empire?
They used a centralized government that controlled farming, trade, and resources; they imposed a labor tax (mita) and maintained extensive road systems and population transfers.
What infrastructural achievements helped unify the Incan Empire?
They built a 14,000-mile network of stone roads (with rope bridges), and a messenger system (chasquis) for rapid communication.
What is an ‘ayllu’ in Incan society?
An ayllu was a cooperative family group that shared labor, resources, and supported community life.
How did Incan rulers legitimize their authority religiously?
Incan rulers were seen as descendants of the sun god Inti, and deceased emperors were mummified and revered.
What are two key highlights of Incan art and architecture?
Their excellent masonry—stone cut to fit without mortar (withstands earthquakes) and the iconic site of Machu Picchu, a ceremonial and possibly royal retreat.
How have some historians described the Incan economy?
Some view it as an early form of socialism or communism due to centralized control and redistribution of resources.
What unique method did the Incas use to measure time?
They used the time it took to boil a potato as a means of measuring time.
Codex
A type of bark-paper book used by the Maya for record keeping.
Glyph
Symbol used in Maya writing; some represented words, others syllables.
Obsidian
Volcanic glass used by the Aztecs for tools and weapons; major trade item.
Chinampas
Artificial islands used by the Aztecs for farming, made from mud and sticks.
Tribute
Goods or services demanded from conquered regions by the Aztecs.
Tenochtitlan
Capital city of the Aztec Empire, built on a lake in central Mexico.
Quipu
Knotted strings used by the Inca for keeping records and doing census counts.
Mita
Incan labor tax requiring people to work on government projects.
Ayllu
Incan cooperative community group that shared resources and labor.
Chasquis
Incan messengers who ran along highways to deliver messages.
Mitimaes
Incan policy of population relocation to promote cultural assimilation.
Curaca
Leader of an ayllu in Incan society; collected taxes and acted as religious authority.
Kukulkan
Feathered serpent god worshipped by the Maya.
Huitzilopochtli
Aztec sun god who required human blood for nourishment.
El Castillo
Pyramid temple in Chichen Itza dedicated to Kukulkan.
Flowery Wars
Aztec ritual battles to capture prisoners for sacrifice.
Socialism/Communism (Inca)
Some historians label the centralized Incan economy as an early form of socialism or communism.
Bas Relief
A type of sculpture where the design projects slightly from the background, used in Maya cities.
Teotihuacan
Pre-Aztec city known for large pyramids; influenced later civilizations.
Mercenary Soldiers
Aztecs originally worked as mercenaries for other settled groups.
Bering Strait
Land bridge that early peoples used to migrate from Asia to the Americas during the Ice Age.
Andes Mountains
Mountain range along the west coast of South America; home to the Inca Empire.
Olmec
Often considered the ‘mother civilization’ of Mesoamerica; known for colossal head sculptures.
Zapotec
Early Mesoamerican civilization in Mexico, known for writing and urban planning; considered a mother culture.
Chavin
Early Andean civilization in Peru, known for religious centers and art.
Nazca (lines)
Mysterious geoglyphs in the desert of southern Peru created by the Nazca civilization.
Tikal
Major city of the Maya civilization, known for pyramids and temples.
Chichen Itza
Large Maya city featuring El Castillo pyramid, a center of religion and astronomy.
Maize
Corn; a staple crop of Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and Aztec.
Quetzalcoatl
Feathered serpent god worshipped by the Aztecs and earlier Mesoamerican peoples.
Triple Alliance
Military and political alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan that formed the foundation of the Aztec Empire.
How are the Olmec/Zapotec considered mother civilizations for Mesoamerica?
They influenced later cultures with their developments in writing, urban planning, religion, and art.
How did the Inca adapt to their mountainous environment?
They used terrace farming, stone aqueducts, and reservoirs.
How did the Aztecs farm on lake-based terrain?
They built chinampas—artificial farming islands—and huge stone and earth causeways.
How did the Inca link religion with political power?
Incan rulers were seen as semi-divine descendants of Inti, the Sun God.
How did the Aztec religion support political power?
Aztec rulers claimed descent from Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god.
How did both empires use religion to justify expansion?
Both claimed divine authority and built temples in conquered lands to legitimize rule.
How did the Aztecs manage conquered territories?
They allowed local rulers to stay in power if they paid tribute—failure had serious consequences.
What kind of government did the Inca establish for conquered peoples?
A centralized system where people were integrated into society, similar to socialism or communism.
How did the Inca use education to unify their empire?
They created public schools to teach Incan ways, especially to conquered peoples.
What was the mita system in the Incan Empire?
A labor tax that required citizens to work on government projects.
What were mitmaqs in the Incan Empire?
Relocated populations used to spread Incan culture and prevent rebellion.
