pre columbian civilizations-history

**Olmec (1200 BC–400 BC)

** known as the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica

**Colossal Heads

** massive stone sculptures created by the Olmecs

**Teotihuacan (250 BC–AD 800)

** the earliest large city in the Valley of Mexico

**Obsidian

** a volcanic glass highly valued for tools and trade in Teotihuacan.

**Quetzalcoatl

** the feathered serpent god worshiped in Teotihuacan and later by the Aztecs.

**End of Teotihuacan

** the city declined around AD 700

**Nazca (200 BC–AD 600)

** civilization in the desert of southern Peru

**Nazca Lines

** huge ground drawings (geoglyphs) shaped like animals such as a spider

**Maya (Classic Period: AD 300–900)

** civilization located on the Yucatán Peninsula

**City-States

** independent Mayan cities

**Mayan Calendar

** an accurate calendar system created using astronomy.

**Mayan Mathematics

** based on a base-20 system (vigesimal) and used long-count numbers.

**Glyphs

** a system of picture writing used by the Maya.

**Mesoamerican Ballgame

** a ritual sport played by the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures.

**Abandonment of Cities

** most Mayan cities were mysteriously abandoned between AD 800 and 1000.

**Aztec (AD 1200s–1521)

** civilization that settled in the Central Valley of Mexico

**Tenochtitlan

** capital city of the Aztec Empire

**Huitzilopochtli

** Aztec god of the sun and war

**Chinampas

** man-made floating islands used by the Aztecs for farming

**Aztec Warfare

** focused on capturing enemies alive for ritual sacrifice rather than killing them.

**Hernán Cortés

** Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs and destroyed Tenochtitlan in 1521.

**Inca (AD 1400s–1530s)

** empire located in the Andes Mountains of South America

**Cuzco

** capital city of the Inca Empire.

**Pachacuti

** Inca emperor who expanded the empire around 1438.

**Bureaucracy

** the Inca government system with 80 provinces and local governors.

**Inca Roads

** extensive network of roads

**Quechua

** the spoken language of the Inca Empire.

**Chasquis (Runners)

** messengers who carried information across the Inca road system.

**Quipu

** colored

**Mita

** a labor tax system requiring citizens to work on public projects.

**Human Sacrifice (Inca)

** practiced rarely and usually reserved for special religious ceremonies.