Developments in the Americas Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering major pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas, including Mississippian, Chaco, Mesa Verde, Mayan, Aztec, and Incan cultures.

Mississippian culture

The first large-scale civilization in North America, emerging in the 700s or 800s in the Mississippi River Valley, known for building massive earthen mounds.

Cahokia

The largest earthen mound constructed by the Mississippian culture, located in southern Illinois.

Great Sun

The title of the chief who ruled each large town in the Mississippian social structure.

Matrilineal society

A social system where standing and titles pass through the woman's side of the family, as practiced by the Mississippians.

Chaco

A Southwestern United States culture that constructed large housing structures containing hundreds of rooms made from stones and clay.

Mesa Verde

A Southwestern United States culture known for building multi-story homes directly into the sides of cliffs using sandstone bricks.

Tribute

Payments of goods, crops, or captives made by conquered peoples to their conquerors, common among Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

Tenochtitlán

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco on the site of present-day Mexico City.

Chinampas

Floating gardens constructed on Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs to expand agricultural production space.

Aztec tribute system

A arrangement where conquered peoples paid goods, surrendered lands, and provided military service in exchange for Aztec political protection without direct administrative control.

Theocracy

A form of government led by religious rulers, such as the Aztec Empire where the supreme emperor was seen as a divine representative.

Great Speaker

The supreme Aztec emperor who served as both the political ruler and the divine representative of the gods.

Pochteca

A specialized merchant class in Aztec society that traded specifically in luxury goods.

Pachacuti

An Incan tribal leader, whose name means "transformer" or "shaker" of the earth, who began expanding Incan power near Cuzco, Peru, in 1438.

Mit'a system

The Incan system of mandatory public service required of men between ages 15 and 50 for agricultural, road building, and infrastructural labor.

Inti

The sun god and the primary, most important deity in Incan religion.

Temple of the Sun

The core religious shrine of the Incan Empire located in Cuzco, dedicated to sun worship and royal ancestor veneration.

Royal ancestor veneration

The Incan practice of mummifying deceased rulers, who were believed to retain ownership of their property, servants, and lands in the afterlife.

Huaca

An Incan animistic belief referring to natural features (like mountains or rivers) or small objects (like stones or bridges) that possessed supernatural powers.

Quipu

An Incan mathematical device made of knotted strings used to record numerical data for trade, engineering, and message carrying.

Waru waru

An Incan terrace technique using raised agricultural beds with channels to capture rain, prevent flood erosion, and store water for dry seasons.

Carpa Nan

A massive Incan road system spanning approximately 25,000 miles, constructed using captive labor primarily for military and government use.

Francisco Pizarro

The Spanish conquistador who arrived in South America in 1532 and conquered the central Incan Empire amidst an ongoing Incan civil war.