Mesoamerica Flashcards

Flashcards about the Geography of Mesoamerica, The Olmec and the Maya, and The Aztecs

Peninsula

An arm of land sticking into the sea so that it is nearly surrounded by water

Cenote

A natural well

Mesoamerica

Runs from southern North America to the central part of Central America

Mesoamerica

A rough land with two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, and the Plateau of Mexico

Maize

Corn

Theocracy

A government in which the leader and the ruling classes are believed to represent the will of the gods

Aqueduct

A structure that carries flowing water

Codex

A book with screens that fold together

The Olmec civilization

Mesoamerica’s first great civilization, lasting from about 1200 B.C. to about 300 B.C.

The Olmec civilization

Often called “the Mother Civilization” of Mesoamerica because they influenced all of the later Mesoamerican civilizations

The Maya

Lived in more than 100 locations in Central America and Mexico

Tikal

The city-state that was once home to nearly 100,000 Maya and had more than 3,000 structures

Cenotes

Sinkholes that collected water and were holy to the Maya

Mercenary

A hired soldier

Chinampa

A human-made island

Causeway

A raised bridge made of land

Alliance

An agreement to work with others

The Aztec civilization

The last great civilization of Mesoamerica

Tenochtitlan

The city built on two swampy islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco

Quetzalcóatl

The god of creation