Aztecs-terms

glossary

Causeway

Raised road over wet ground/water

Conquest

Act of taking control over a country or city

Polytheistic

Worshipping or believing in multiple gods

tribute

payment made by one ruler to another to obtain peace

chinampas

floating gardens used for agriculture/ artificial land

guerilla tactics

a fighting technique where warriors make surprise attacks then withdraw back to safety

Cortes

a Spanish conquerer who conquered the Aztec empire, gaining treasure and land for Spain

Epidemic

when a disease affects a large number of people at the same time

mesoamerica

middle America/ modern Mexico

Montezuma

An emperor from 1502-1520 who was killed during the Spanish conquest

pre-columbian

time before arrival of Christopher Columbus in Americas

Conquistador

Spanish for conquerer and refers to soldiers from the 16th century Spain

Lake Texcoco

Lake where Tenochtitlan was founded

Huitzilopochtli

God of war, sun and human sacrifice and protector/ patron of Tenochtitlan

Tlaloc

god of rain, fertility and water