1.1 The Earliest Americans Assessment Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the Assessment on the Earliest Americans, Mesoamerican Civilizations, and geography.

Glaciers

Huge, moving sheets of ice that formed during the Ice Age when Earth's climate became intensely cold.

Ice Age Ocean Level Drop

The lowering of ocean levels by more than 300 feet compared to today as a result of the Ice Age.

Bering Land Bridge

A strip of land that connected northeastern Asia to present-day Alaska.

Migration

The term used by geographers to describe the movement of the first peoples from Asia into North America.

Paleo-Indians

The earliest peoples to live in the Americas.

Hunter-gatherers

Early peoples who survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants for food.

Maize (corn)

One of the most important early crops grown by Native American peoples.

Beans and Squash

Two crops that early Native Americans learned to grow in addition to maize.

Farming (Impact on Early Peoples)

Allowed early peoples to stop moving around in search of food and instead to settle in one place.

Culture

A shared set of values, traditions, language, government, and family relationships.

Mesoamerica

A region that includes the southern part of present-day Mexico and the northern parts of Central America.

Olmec

The civilization that developed the earliest-known civilization in Mesoamerica, around 1200 BC.

Olmec Sculptures

Huge stone head sculptures created by the Olmec, who were especially known for their use of stone in architecture.

Maya

The civilization that, by about AD 200, was building large cities with pyramids, temples, palaces, and canals.

Maya Collapse Causes

Factors believed by historians to have caused the Maya civilization to collapse in the 900s, including disease, soil exhaustion, and long-term drought.

Aztec Military Ability

The superior military ability for which the Aztec civilization was especially known.

Aztec Migration Destination

Central Mexico, where the Aztec migrated south and eventually settled around the mid-1100s AD.

Tenochtitlán

The capital city founded by the Aztec in AD 1325.

Lake Texcoco

The lake containing the island on which the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán was built.

Causeways

Raised roads that connected the Aztec capital island to the shore, making trade and travel easier.

Aztec Wealth

The rich status achieved by the Aztec through trade and tribute paid by conquered peoples in the form of cotton, gold, and food.

Aztec Power (Early 1500s)

By the early 1500s, the Aztec ruled the most powerful state in Mesoamerica.

Mansa Musa

A West African historical figure who is NOT one of the Key Terms and People listed for this lesson.

Aztec Calendar Map (1400s)

A map from the 1400s showing the world in the shape of a cross, with each branch representing a direction (north, south, east, west).

Warmer Post-Ice Age Climate Effect

Allowed Paleo-Indian groups to migrate into new environments and settle where resources were plentiful.