Studied by 62 people
Olmec
name that means "rubber people;" they lived in central and southern Mexico
ruins
the remains of something that has been destroyed
jaguar
represented the rain god for the Olmecs
tall
a trait Mayan people did not have
they learned to plant crops
this allowed the Mayas to move inland
pyramid temples
the most well-known structures in Mayan cities
stone
Mayan tools were made of this material
observatory
astronomers used this structure in Chichén Itzá for their work
giant staircase
picture writing covers this famous ruin in Copán
man power
human strength or effort without the help of machines
terraces
ridges cut into the steep sides of mountains to create more level farm land
llama
the animal that provided the Incas with food, wool, and a way to transport men and goods
plaza
a large open area surrounded by public buildings
on the inside
where the Incas decorated their temples and palaces
the ruling Inca when he visited
stayed at the palace in each Incan city
from a source a mile away through a stone aqueduct
where Machu Picchu got its water
ransom
a payment given in exchange for the release of someone held captive
a civil war
event that happened just before the Spanish arrived and weakened the Incan army
gods
the Incas thought the Spanish were these
horse
animal that appeared in the new world for the first time thanks to the Spanish
a lake
was once the site of Tenochtitlan and the modern-day Mexico City
quipu
a word that is not from the Nahuatl language
slaves
a social class made up of captives of war, criminals, or citizens that couldn't pay their debts.
chicle
comes from the gum tree and is used in chewing gum
fat
Aztecs had very little of this in their diets
tortillas
what the Spanish called the Aztec cornmeal pancakes
woven mats
where the Aztecs sat or slept in their houses
canals
ditches filled with water that became the major streets of Tenochtitlan
small pox
deadly disease brought by the Spanish for which the Aztecs had no resistance
other native tribes
helped the Spanish defeat the Aztecs
