Early State-building in the Americas

Flashcards about state-building in the Americas.

What two hemispheres was the world separated into during the Post-Classical period?

The Eastern Hemisphere (Afro-Eurasia and Oceania) and the Western Hemisphere (the Americas).

What were some isolating geographic features for early American civilizations?

Mountains, deserts, and jungles separated them.

Where did agriculture, writing systems, and states first emerge?

Afro-Eurasia emerged about two thousand years before the Americas.

What large animals were available for domestication in Afro-Eurasia but not in the Americas?

Horses and cattle were available in Afro-Eurasia.

Why was the east-west orientation of Afro-Eurasia beneficial for development?

It allowed for easier cultural diffusion and travel across similar climates.

Which people group developed the earliest agriculture and cities in LATIN AMERICA?

The Olmecs.

Which civilization in LATIN AMERICA is known by more than just archaeology?

The Maya.

What crops did the Maya cultivate?

Maize (corn), beans, and squash.

How was state-building structured in Maya civilization?

Individual city-states, each led by warrior-priest kings.

What role did women have in Maya society?

Prominent roles in religious rituals and textile manufacture.

What technological advancements did the Maya possess?

Advanced understanding of astronomy, math and architecture.

What are some suggested causes for the decline of the Maya city-states?

Foreign invasion, draught, and trade route disruption.

What was the Aztec Empire?

A tributary empire in central Mexico founded on the military might of Tenochtitlan.

What are chinampas?

Floating farms used by the Mexica on Lake Texcoco.

What was the purpose of Flower Wars?

To capture enemy warriors alive for human sacrifice.

Where was the Inca Empire located?

The Andes Mountains of South America.

How did the Inca legitimize their emperor's rule?

As the divine head of the Incan polytheistic religion.

What was the Mita system?

A system of forced labor used by the Inca.

What were Tambos?

Way-stations along Inca highways.

What is a quipu?

A knotted cord used by the Inca to store numerical information.

By the end of the Post-Classical period, the early states in the Americas had progressed what?

To an equivalent state of political, economic, and technological complexity to what Afro-Eurasian societies had enjoyed in the Bronze Age.

What crops were known as the 'Three Sisters' in NORTH AMERICA?

Maize (corn), beans, and squash.

Where were the Pueblo people of Chaco located?

In the southwest of NORTH AMERICA.

What is Cahokia?

A large urban center of tens of thousands of inhabitants along the Mississippi River.

What was emphasized in Native American religious traditions and way of life?

Sustainability and a balanced relationship with the environment.

What type of beliefs characterized the Native American cultures of NORTH AMERICA?

Diverse polytheistic beliefs.

What settlement did the Vikings abandon?

The Vinland settlement, likely due to primitive ship design and the inability to maintain a trans-Atlantic settlement.