Mesoamerican and South American Civilizations

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Olmecs, Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas, detailing their achievements, religion, and social structures.

Olmecs

One of the earliest civilizations in Mesoamerica (c. $1500-400\,BCE$) located in southern Mexico, known for building planned religious centers and large pyramid-shaped stone temples.

Obsidian

Volcanic glass used by the Olmecs, Mayas, and Aztecs for sharpening knives and as a valuable trade item.

Colossal Olmec stone heads

Enormous, grim-faced sculptures carved by the Olmecs that represented rain gods.

Slash-and-burn

A Maya farming method where trees were cut down and burned to clear land, using the resulting ash to make the soil fertile.

Tikal

A location in modern-day Guatemala known for its towering Maya pyramids.

Maya Base-20 Number System

A counting system developed by the Mayas that included the concept of the zero ($0$) symbol.

Maya Calendar

An accurate time-keeping system consisting of $18$ months of $20$ days each, with five additional days at the end of the year.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco, which featured temples, palaces, and causeways.

Chinampas

Floating gardens created by the Aztecs, which were small islands of soil used to grow crops like corn and beans on the lake.

Huitzilopochtli

The most important Aztec god, representing the sun and war.

Tlatoani

The title for the emperor who sat at the top of the well-organized Aztec society.

Aztec Sun Stone

A famous archaeological artifact that served as the Aztec calendar.

Cuzco

The capital city of the Inca Empire, located in the Andes Mountains of present-day Peru.

Sapa Inca

The title for the "Supreme Lord" or leader of the Inca Empire, such as Pachacuti.

Quipus

Knotted strings used by the Incas to keep records and perform mathematics in the absence of a written language.

Terraces

Step-like structures built by the Incas on mountain slopes to create flat land for agriculture.

Inti

The Inca sun god, who was the most important deity in their religious pantheon.

Machu Picchu

A famous sacred Inca city located in the Andes, known for its advanced engineering and stone buildings constructed without mortar.

Llamas and Alpacas

Animals raised by the Incas; llamas were particularly important as pack animals for transport across the empire.