preterm Latin America history

Tlatoani

king of a Mexica city-state. “he who speaks”

Xochiquetzal

"Precious Flowery Feather,” Aztec goddess of love and romance

Templo Mayor

the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, symbolic center and physical replica of the Aztec cosmos

Chinampa

raised field bed; a form of agriculture used to cultivate swampy areas

Huitzilopochtli

Hummingbird on the Left or Hummingtird to the South, god of the sun and of war and patron deity of the Mexica

Tlaloc

god associated with rain, water ; blue tower of Templo Mayor ("Principal Temple")

Nahuatl

language of the Mexica

Pochteca

the traveling merchants (often spies) of the Triple Alliance (or Aztec Empire)

Aztlan

Place of the White Heron, the mythical homeland, north of the Basin of Mexico, where the Mexica began their migration

Calpulli or calpolli

kin-based social group or clan (or “a group of families” that had their own temples, schools, organized community labor, 100 or 200 families

K’inich Janaab’ Pakal

(AD 615-683)--ruled Palenque; Sarcophagus found in Temple of the Inscriptions

Sacbe

the raised limestone cement road system of the Maya; more intricate and intense than previously thought (thanks to discoversies of LiDar

Ceiba

the universal or cosmic tree in the Maya cosmovision

Xibalba

the Maya underworld ruled by the lords of Xibalba

Popol Vuh

the Book of Counsel, written in mid-16^th century by Ki’che’ Maya. It gives an account of the creation, of stages of human creation (mud, wood, maize) and the Story of the Hero Twins victory over the lords of Xibalba

Cenotes

natural limestone reservoirs in Yucatan; passages to Xibalba, along with caves and other waterways

Atahualpa

defeats rival brother Huascar in Inka Civil War, becomes Sapa Inka, captured and killed by Pizarro

Tambo

A small settlement along the Inca highway used as housing for travelers

Quipu

a knotted cord that was used for in Inca accounting

Quechua

the language of the Incas

Qhapac Nnan

Way of the lord (or royal road) extensive road system of the Inka empire, 25000 miles

Coricancha

Golden Enclosure; temple as center of Inka universe or cosmos in Cuzco

Cuzco

Inka capital; navel of the world or center of the cosmos

Qollqa

Inka towers used as storehouses for foodstuffs, textiles, and other goods

Cumbi

the finest grade of cloth

Huaca

a place or object with powers

Mit’a

`Inca labor tax; time required to work in some capacity for the empire

Chasqui

An Inca road system messenger

Ayllu

a group of related individuals and families who exchange labor and cooperate in subsistence and ritual activities

Aymara

language of the Lake Titicaca area

Tahuantinsuyu

The Inca term for their empire, the “Land of the Four Parts”