Mayan, Aztec, Inca, Exploration and Trade Flashcards

Flashcards on Mayan, Aztec, and Inca civilizations, North America, Spanish Influence, French and English Exploration, and Triangle Trade.

Olmec

Lived in Mexico and Central America c. 1200-400 BC and influenced later Mesoamerican cultures.

Maya

Lived in Guatemala from 1800 BC - 900 AD and had a writing system of glyphs and advanced science and astronomy.

Aztecs

Civilization in Mexico from 1400s-1500s that expanded their empire by military conquest and whose capital was Tenochtitlán.

Tenochtitlán

Aztec capital city, modern-day Mexico City, and a major center of trade.

Sacrifice

The act of sacrificing animals and humans to feed the gods and keep them happy in Aztec religion.

Inca

Civilization located in the Andes Mountains from Ecuador to Peru (1100s-1500s) using roads and bridges to unite the empire.

Quipu

Inca accounting and communication system made using knots at various levels on multicolored strings.

Anasazi

Southwest North American civilization of Pueblo dwellers that lived on cliffs from c. 200 BC - 1300s AD.

Haudenosaunee

Also known as the Iroquois/Six Nations, a confederation of 6 tribes, is an early example of democracy.

North American - North

North American tribes including the Dene, Cree, and Inuit who were hunter/gatherers in Greenland, northern Canada, and Alaska.

Christopher Columbus

Reached the "New World" in 1492 on the island of Hispaniola, returned to establish colonies, and brought some of the Taino people to show the court

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztecs in 1519.

Montezuma II

Aztec ruler who thought Cortés was a god.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish explorer who conquered South America.

Encomienda system

Spanish system where natives farmed land owned by the Spanish.

University of Mexico

University founded c. 1551 by the Spanish.

Northwest Passage

Explorers looking for a route to Asia through North America.

New France

Modern day Canada (Quebec) discovered in 1534 by Jacques Cartier who found the St. Lawrence River; Jesuit missionaries also began to arrive.

Samuel de Champlain

Governor of Quebec

John Cabot

Reached Newfoundland in 1497.

Jamestown

Founded in 1607

New Netherlands

Founded in 1607 by Henry Hudson which the British later renamed New York.

Mayflower Compact

Signed in 1620, it was the governing charter for the Plymouth colony

Seven Years' War

War between England and France for control of Ohio Valley and Canada.

Columbian Exchange

Global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during colonization of the Americas.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Created to settle a dispute between Portugal and Spain over new lands, creating a Line of Demarcation.

King William’s War 1689-97

North American portion of the War of the Grand Alliance (aka Nine years’ war) where the UK captured Port Royal (Acadia/Nova Scotia)

Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)

Where the UK recaptures Port Royal - create Nova Scotia and gains Hudson’s Bay region from France

Triangle Trade

A historical trade route involving exchange of goods between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.