week 1 + 2 Flashcards
Templo Mayor
Sacred center of the Aztec civilization.
Tzompantli
Carved stone skull racks at Templo Mayor.
Tlaloc
Rain deity worshipped in Mesoamerica.
Huitzilopochtli
Patron god of the Aztecs.
Coatlicue
Mother goddess associated with war.
Coyolxauqui
Sister of Huitzilopochtli
Coatepec
Mountain where Huitzilopochtli was born.
Ixiptla
God-images representing deities in Aztec worship.
Moctezuma II
Aztec ruler who emphasized the importance of gods.
Human sacrifice
Ritual practice involving offering humans to deities.
Spanish Conquest
Destruction of Indigenous religious structures by colonizers.
Nahuatl
Language spoken by the Aztecs.
Mexica
Name Aztecs used to refer to themselves.
Tribute
Luxury goods collected as tax by rulers.
Feather headdress
High-status ornament worn by Moctezuma II.
Gold objects
Precious materials crafted into high-status items.
Florentine Codex
Historical document detailing Aztec culture.
Tenochtitlan
Capital of the Aztec Empire.
Nuremberg Map
1524 map depicting Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
Aztec Empire
Dominant political power in pre-Columbian Mexico.
Canal transportation
Primary means of movement in Tenochtitlan.
Sacred bundles
Containers for concealing powerful god-images.
Visual culture
Importance of images in Aztec and Catholic practices.
Huitzilopochtli
Patron god of the Aztecs
Coatlicue
Mother goddess associated with war and fertility.
Coyolxauqui
Sister of Huitzilopochtli
Coatepec
Mythical mountain where Huitzilopochtli was born.
Moctezuma II
Aztec ruler known for his reverence of gods.
Human sacrifice
Ritual practice involving offerings of human lives.
Spanish Conquest
Destruction of Indigenous religious structures by colonists.
Mexica
Self-reference of the Aztec people.
Tribute
Luxury goods collected by rulers from subjects.
Feather headdress
Symbol of high status made from feathers.
Gold objects
High-status items crafted from precious metals.
Tenochtitlan
Aztec capital
Florentine Codex
Historical document detailing Aztec culture and history.
Nuremberg Map
Map depicting Aztec capital published in 1524.
Rituals
Ceremonial practices involving god-images and sacrifices.
Indigenous religion
Spiritual practices denounced as idolatry by colonists.
Visual culture
Importance of images in both Aztec and Catholicism.
Cultural endurance
Adaptation of Indigenous practices within Christianity.
Teotihuacan
Largest ancient city in the Americas (100 BCE-800 CE).
City of the Gods
Nickname for Teotihuacan
Population at height
Estimated 125
Ceremonial grandeur
Notable for monumental architecture and large-scale structures.
Apartment compounds
Collectivized residential structures from 250-550 CE.
Cultural interactions
Engaged with Maya capitals like Tikal and Copán.
Core monuments burned
City’s core monuments burned around 550 CE.
Population decline
Dropped to 30
Legacy of Teotihuacan
Influenced Mesoamerica for at least a millennium.
Miccaotli
Ceremonial causeway measuring 1.5 miles long.
Sun Pyramid
One of the largest temple platforms in the hemisphere.
Moon Pyramid
Another major temple platform in Teotihuacan.
Feathered Serpent Pyramid
Known for elaborate sculptures and human sacrifices.
Celestial alignments
Buildings aligned with celestial bodies like the sun.
Master plan hypothesis
Some scholars suggest a planned layout for the city.
Gridded street system
Unique layout among Mesoamerican cities.
Ciudadela
Monumental structure opposite Great Compound on Miccaotli.
Access restrictions
Access to temples likely limited to elites.
Ritual activation
Ceremonial use of temple platforms by social elites.
Social hierarchy
Ceremonial spaces contributed to internal social ordering.
Mural painting
One of the complex arts developed in Teotihuacan.
Mold-pressed ceramics
Innovative pottery technique from Teotihuacan culture.
Stone sculpture
Art form significant to Teotihuacan’s cultural legacy.
Human sacrifices
Burials in monumental structures varied by building.
Rich offerings
Precious objects like jade and obsidian found.
Great Compound
Possibly a centralized market for Teotihuacan.
Foreign goods
Critical for Teotihuacan’s economy and trade.
Thin Orange wares
Stackable bowls for easy transport by traders.
Street of the Dead Complex
Potential elite administrative center in Teotihuacan.
Apartment compounds
Single-story residential units for city residents.
Population housed
Estimated 85% of Teotihuacan’s population lived here.
Residence size
Typical apartment compound measured 200 x 200 feet.
Courtyards
Open-air spaces central to apartment compounds.
Housing stability
Unique durability compared to other Mesoamerican homes.
Patrilocality
Residence pattern in male spouse’s home.
Craft specialization
Skilled craftspeople lived near their workplaces.
Excavated examples
Only about thirty apartment compounds partially excavated.
Artistic traditions
Distinctive arts across various media in Teotihuacan.
Hollow effigy figurines
Specialized ceramics
Figural stone sculptures
Geometricized representations valued by Teotihuacan artists.
Green stones
Symbolized water and agricultural fertility in art.
Masks
Isolated faces often found in sculptures.
Full standing figurines
Less common human representations in Teotihuacan.
Mural paintings
Decorated walls
Common subjects
Deities
Archaeological record
Evidence of animals and objects in excavations.
Abstract paintings
Some artworks featured highly abstract designs.
Teotihuacan
Ancient Mesoamerican city
Pyramid of the Sun
Largest pyramid at Teotihuacan
Pyramid of the Moon
Built in 7 phases
Great Goddess
Monumental sculpture
Teotihuacan mural painting
Flat
Apartment compounds
Housing for 12-60 people
Teotihuacan vs Maya painting
Teo style generic; Maya style realistic and individual.
Colossus of Coatlinchan
Unfinished sculpture
Urban planning
Evidence of organized city layout in Teotihuacan.
Classic Maya period
200-900 CE
Tikal
Largest urban center in southern Maya lowlands.
Fire is Born
Military figure who arrived in Tikal
Teotihuacan’s legacy
Influenced later societies
Population of Teotihuacan
AD 150: 60
Valley of Mexico eruptions
Volcanic activity caused population shifts to Teotihuacan.
Craft production workshops
Specialized areas for artisans in Teotihuacan.
Ethnic enclaves
Neighborhoods for different cultural groups in Teotihuacan.
Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions
Elaborate writing system during Classic Maya period.
Collective symbols of identity
Teotihuacan rulers emphasized community over individualism.
Military campaigns
Evidence of organized military actions in Teotihuacan.
Mesoamerican monumental architecture
Large-scale structures
Sacrificial offerings
Deposited during construction phases of the Moon Pyramid.
Tepantitla mural
Depicts Great Goddess as a mountain of sustenance.
Fire is Born
A powerful figure linked to Tikal’s rulership.
Spear-thrower Owl
Possible foreign ruler associated with Tikal.
Jaguar Paw
Next in line for Tikal’s throne who dies.
Yax Nuun Ahiin
Also known as Curl Snout
Stela 31
Depicts Curl Snout’s son
Teotihuacan
Potentially ruled by Spear-thrower Owl.
Diego de Landa
Colonial friar who studied Maya hieroglyphs.
Yuri Knorosov
Scholar who proposed syllabic nature of glyphs.
Tatiana Proskouriakoff
Scholar who expanded on Knorosov’s glyph theories.
Linda Schele
Contributed to understanding of Maya glyphs.
David Stuart
Maya scholar who built on glyph decipherment.
Logograms
Glyphs representing words or morphemes in writing.
Phonetic qualifiers
Glyphs indicating pronunciation of other glyphs.
A Forest of Kings
Book synthesizing Maya political history from glyphs.
Hieroglyphic Stairway
Longest Maya hieroglyphic text
Yax K’uk Mo
Founder of Copan’s dynastic sequence.
18 Rabbit
Patron of arts
Quirigua
City where 18 Rabbit was captured.
K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Yopaat
Ruler of Quirigua who beheaded 18 Rabbit.
Lady Xooc
Performed bloodletting ritual before Lord Shield Jaguar.
Lintels
Difficult-to-read inscriptions in Maya architecture.
Political rhetoric
Used in Maya monuments for ceremonial purposes.
Moche
Refers to a culture in the Andes and coastal regions.
Huaca de la Luna
Significant Moche archaeological site.
Cerro Blanco
Another important site of the Moche civilization.
Archaeological site
Location of historical human activity and artifacts.
River valley
Low-lying area between hills
Culture
Shared beliefs
Political body
Organized group governing a specific territory.
Art style
Distinctive manner of artistic expression in a culture.
Moche diversity
Two distinct languages: Muchic and Quingan.
Population centers
Key locations of Moche civilization’s political power.
Huacas
Adobe structures serving religious and ceremonial purposes.
Huaca del Sol
Major Moche pyramid
Adobe bricks
Building material made from clay and straw.
Makers’ marks
Distinct patterns on bricks indicating their creators.
Lords of Sipán
Prominent Moche rulers with lavish burial practices.
Owl Priest
Burial associated with high-status Moche individuals.
Priestess potif
Symbol of women’s high status in Moche society.
La Señora de Cao
Female ruler buried with militaristic artifacts.
Moche rulers
Prominent individuals
Ceramic effigy portraits
Ceramics depicting rulers in idealized forms.
Fresco style
Technique of mural painting on wet plaster.
Decapitator imagery
Common motif depicting human sacrifice in Moche art.
Fine line ceramics
Ceramics illustrating Moche stories and historical events.
The Sacrifice Ceremony
Ceramic depiction of ritual blood-letting events.
Lord of Sipán
Warrior Priest associated with Moche mythology.
Hallucinogenic cactus seed
Seeds used in rituals
Late Postclassic Period
Period from 1200-1521 CE in Mesoamerica.
Interregional interaction
Increased trade and communication between different regions.
Maya hieroglyphs
Writing system used by the Maya civilization.
Pictographic writing
Visual symbols representing words or concepts.
Maya group manuscripts
Prehispanic manuscripts from the Maya civilization.
Borgia group manuscripts
Central Mexican manuscripts with ritual significance.
Mixtec group manuscripts
Oaxacan manuscripts with unique pictographic styles.
Aztec pictographic manuscripts
Post-contact manuscripts
Accordion-style manuscripts
Books folded like an accordion
Astronomical almanacs
Manuscripts tracking celestial events and rituals.
Maya Codices
Four surviving books detailing astronomical observations.
Codex Grolier
Authentic manuscript dating to 1050-1150 CE.
Borgia Codices
Six surviving ritual almanacs from Puebla/Tlaxcala.
260-day ritual calendar
Calendar used for scheduling religious events.
365-day solar calendar
Calendar for agricultural cycles and longer periods.
Nemotemi days
Five dangerous days at the end of the solar calendar.
Counting years
Years recorded in 365-day cycles
Year bearers
Four symbols used to represent years in cycles.
Day signs
Twenty symbols used in the 260-day calendar.
Numerical coefficient
Numbers between 1 and 13 used in day naming.
Spanish colonization impact
Destruction of manuscripts viewed as idolatrous.
European manuscript collections
Surviving manuscripts housed in European museums.
Borgia Group Codices
Focus on 260-day ritual calendar implications.
Mixtec Codices
Eight historical books detailing Indigenous dynasties.
Boustrophedon Reading Order
Reading alternates direction like an ox plowing.
260-Day Ritual Calendar
Calendar for tracking significant life events.
Geographic Substantives
Terms like hill
Idiosyncratic Pictographic Element
Unique symbols accompanying names in Mixtec manuscripts.
Phoneticism
Tonal variations affect meaning in Mixtec language.
Tone Puns
Pictographic play on words using vowel intonation.
Personal Name
Unique pictographic element identifying individuals.
Colonial Period Manuscripts
Indigenous writing adapted during colonial rule.
Performative Element
Public performances of codex narratives for legitimacy.
Scribe Definition
Mixtec term for ‘he who holds the song book’.
Florentine Codex
Native depiction of Spanish ships in Veracruz.
Nuremberg Map
1524 map of Tenochtitlan published in Germany.
Aztec
People of Aztlan
Moctezuma II
Ruler of the Aztec empire depicted in Codex Tovar.
Tribute
Tax paid in precious materials and luxury goods.
Codex Mendoza
Depicts tribute from Soconusco province.
Historical Narratives
Stories of rulers and creation in Mixtec codices.
Reading Order Guidelines
Red lines guide page reading in Mixtec codices.
Indigenous Calendar Continuation
Indigenous systems persisted into colonial times.
Tribute
Tax paid in precious materials or luxury goods.
Feather Headdress
Headdress of Moctezuma II
Serpent Effigy Labret
Gold lip plug
Codex Mendoza
Historical document detailing Aztec tribute and society.
Mosaic Double Serpent Pectoral
Decorative piece made of jade
Mosaic Mask
Ceremonial mask crafted from jade and turquoise.
Templo Mayor
Great temple of the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan.
Tzompantli
Skull racks used for displaying sacrificial victims.
Huitzilopochtli
Aztec patron god of war and sun.
Tlaloc
Rain deity worshipped in Mesoamerican cultures.
Coatlicue
Mother of Huitzilopochtli
Coyolxauqui
Sister of Huitzilopochtli
Human Sacrifice
Ritual offering to gods
Mesoamerican Cosmology
Belief in cyclicity and reciprocity in life.
Ixiptla
Manifestation of a deity’s presence in Aztec culture.
God-Images
Sacred representations of deities
Colonial Iconoclasm
Destruction of Indigenous religious images by Spanish.
Hybrid Religious Visual Culture
Blending of Indigenous and European religious imagery.
Codex Durán
Document depicting Aztec sacrificial practices.
Florentine Codex
Comprehensive account of Aztec culture and rituals.
Quetzalcoatl
Feathered serpent deity
Obsidian Altar
Portable altar made from obsidian and gold leaf.
Mass of St Gregory
Feather mosaic artwork reflecting hybrid religious themes.
Nuremberg Map
Historical map depicting Tenochtitlan and its significance.
Sacrificial Stones
Used in rituals to honor gods through sacrifice.
