Social Studies Flashcards (Mayas, Incas, Aztecs, and Mississipians)

Question 1

Civilizations

Answer 1

an advanced state of human society

Question 2

Mesoamerica

Answer 2

a cultural region centered around southern Mexico in which a number of early American civilizations developed

Question 3

Polytheistic

Answer 3

the belief in or worship of more than one god

Question 4

City-state

Answer 4

a self-governing region consisting of a city and its surrounding territory

Question 5

Hieroglyphics

Answer 5

a writing system that uses pictures and symbols

Question 6

Astronomy

Answer 6

the science of observing stars to keep track of yearly patterns

Question 7

Calendars

Answer 7

a chart or drawing that helps keep track of each day of the year

Question 8

Empire

Answer 8

a group of countries or regions controlled by one ruler

Question 9

Plateaus

Answer 9

a high elevated piece of land with a flat surface

Question 10

Mummified

Answer 10

to preserve a body by embalming in and wrapping it in cloth

Question 11

Emperor

Answer 11

a powerful ruler that controlled an empire

Question 12

Sapa Inca

Answer 12

the emperor that ruled the Incas

Question 13

Allyus

Answer 13

a group of people organized into family units of 10-20 people

Question 14

Terrace Farming

Answer 14

cutting pieces of the hill or mountain flat so you can farm on it

Question 15

Epidemic

Answer 15

a widespread outbreak of a contagious disease

Question 16

Irrigation Canals

Answer 16

a human-made channel across land that moves water from its source to where its needed for growing crops

Question 17

Litters

Answer 17

a vehicle consisting of a chair or bed carried on two poles by people or animals

Question 18

Terraces

Answer 18

a flat leveled area carved into a slope

Question 19

Aqueducts

Answer 19

a channel or canal made for moving water across land

Question 20

Technochtitlan

Answer 20

a great big city that the Aztec’s built that had thousands of homes, a royal palace, and a zoo

Question 21

Multicropping

Answer 21

planting one crop, harvesting it, and then immediately planting another crop on the same field

Question 22

Montezuma II

Answer 22

the ninth and last true emperor in ancient Aztec civilization

Question 23

Chinampas

Answer 23

floating gardens that the Aztec’s built to expand their food supply

Question 24

Adobe

Answer 24

logs or clay bricks that the Aztec’s homes were built out of

Question 25

Causeways

Answer 25

a raised roadway across a swamp or another body of
water

Question 26

Moat

Answer 26

a wide water-filled ditch built to surround a settlement or a building to protect it from attack

Question 27

Intercropping

Answer 27

planting multiple types of crops together

Question 28

Earthen Mounds

Answer 28

kind of like hills, built by the Mississippians, built large and flat-topped

Question 29

Palisade

Answer 29

a fence, commonly made of wooden poles standing on end, that surrounds a settlement to protect from attack

Question 30

Bluff

Answer 30

a high cliff often overlooking a river

Question 31

Hierarchy

Answer 31

a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked according to status
or authority

Question 32

Tribute

Answer 32

an offering or payment to a leader or ruler