02.03 The Inca's New Groove

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the cultural development in Ancient America, focusing on Andean civilizations, the Inca Empire, and architectural highlights.

Cultural Transmission

The process of passing cultural elements such as beliefs, practices, and designs from one generation or society to another, involving selective borrowing and innovation.

Andean Cultures

Civilizations in South America influenced by geography and exhibiting art connected to nature, unique funerary practices, and architecture reflecting social hierarchy.

Chavín Culture

One of the oldest Andean civilizations known for its religious focus, particularly the Chavín de Huántar Temple and the Lanzón Stela.

Inca Empire

The largest pre-Columbian empire that controlled western South America, characterized by a vast administration similar to Rome, and a unique labor taxation system.

Labor Taxation System

A system where citizens contributed labor instead of paying taxes, facilitating large construction projects like roads and textile production.

Intihuatana Stone

An astronomical observatory at Machu Picchu believed to connect the spiritual and physical worlds, marking equinoxes and used for sun rituals.

City of Cusco

The capital of the Inca Empire, symbolically considered as the 'Navel of the Earth' and designed in the shape of a puma.

Qorikancha

The Temple of the Sun in Cusco, a religious center featuring unique Inca architectural designs and later repurposed by the Spanish.

Ancestral Puebloans

A group that built cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, Colorado, known for their communal living and ceremonial spaces like kivas.

Kivas

Underground, circular structures used by the Ancestral Puebloans for spiritual rituals and community gatherings.