LAH Terms

Atlante

Sculptures of warriors and deities

Chac Mools

A human figure with its head turned 90 degrees to the side and a bowl or tray on its belly

Chasquis

Young runners in the Inca Empire who delivers messages

Cult of Tlaloc

A ancient Mesoamerican religion focused on the god of rain, fertility, and agriculture.

Flower Song

A song poetry about life, death, and mortality with sacred or celebratory themes

Frieze

A high-relief stucco or stone sculptures

Kanchas

A wall enclosure with one room buildings around a central patio

Kawachi

A major archaeological site in Peru, serving as a primary ceremonial center for Nazca culture

Popol Vuh

A text recounting the mythology and history of the K’iche’ people of Guatemala

Relief

A art form served as a vital medium for politics, religion, and cosmology

Roof comb

The structure that tops a pyramid in mesoamerican architecture

Seven caves

A central mythical origin site in mesoamerican lore from which ancestral tribes emerged into the world

Stelae

Upright stone slabs or pillars, often carved or painted

Totora

A plant that grows in swampy areas

Wacah Chan

Refers to the sacred “World Tree” in Mayan