chapter 8 whap hell

What was the capital of the Aztec Empire, built on two islands in a large lake?

Tenochtitlan[cite: 1].

What was the estimated population of Tenochtitlan by 1520?

Over 150,000[cite: 1].

What group established a capital at Tula around 968 and strongly influenced the later Aztecs?

The Toltecs[cite: 1].

What major Mississippian settlement had more than 30,000 people and large earthen pyramids?

Cahokia[cite: 1].

What language did the Toltecs and the Aztecs (Mexica) speak?

Nahuatl[cite: 1].

When did the Aztecs establish Tenochtitlan on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco?

1325[cite: 1].

What political maneuver in 1434 allowed the Aztecs to dominate the central plateau of Mexico?

The creation of a triple alliance with two other city-states[cite: 1].

What Aztec religious practice was expanded and used as a means of political terror?

Human sacrifice[cite: 1].

What were "flower wars" in Aztec society?

Wars staged specifically to obtain captives for human sacrifice[cite: 1].

Who was Huitzilopochtli?

The Aztec tribal patron deity, identified with the sun and warfare[cite: 1].

What were chinampas?

Artificial floating islands made of aquatic weeds and mud used for highly productive agriculture[cite: 1].

Who were the pochteca?

A merchant class specializing in long-distance trade of luxury items[cite: 1].

What were the calpulli in Aztec society?

Clans or residential groupings that distributed land, organized labor, and maintained temples[cite: 1].

What title was given to the ruler of Tenochtitlan, who was considered a living god?

The Great Speaker[cite: 1].

How did the Aztecs generally treat the local rulers of conquered city-states?

Local rulers often remained in place as tribute collectors if they recognized Aztec supremacy[cite: 1].

In what region did the Inca Empire emerge around 1300 C.E.?

The highlands of Peru[cite: 1].

What coastal kingdom, centered at Chan-Chan, was the most powerful state in Peru until conquered by the Incas in 1465?

Chimor[cite: 1].

What were the Quechua-speaking clans near Cuzco called?

Ayllus[cite: 1].

Which Inca ruler began major military campaigns and expanded control from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca in 1438?

Pachacuti[cite: 1].

Which Inca ruler expanded control into southern Ecuador and conquered Chimor?

Topac Yupanqui[cite: 1].

Under which ruler did the Inca Empire expand from Colombia to Chile and eastward to northern Argentina?

Huayna Capac[cite: 1].

What was the official name of the Inca Empire?

Twantinsuyu[cite: 1].

What was the estimated population of the Inca Empire at its height?

9 to 13 million people[cite: 1].

What was "royal split inheritance" in the Inca Empire?

A practice where political power went to a ruler's successor, but all wealth and land remained with male descendants to support the dead ruler's cult[cite: 1].

Why did royal split inheritance drive continuous military expansion?

Each new Inca ruler needed to conquer new lands to secure wealth to support his own future cult[cite: 1].

What was the center of the Inca state religion that housed the mummies of past rulers?

The Temple of the Sun in Cuzco[cite: 1].

What term did the Incas use for holy shrines, such as mountains, stones, and rivers, endowed with spiritual power?

Huacas[cite: 1].

How was the Inca Empire administratively divided?

Into four provinces, each under a governor[cite: 1].

What were local rulers in the Inca Empire called?

Curacas[cite: 1].

What language did the Incas deliberately spread to integrate their diverse empire?

Quechua[cite: 1].

What were the way stations placed along the extensive Inca road system called?

Tambos[cite: 1].

What was the mita system?

A system that required communities to provide labor for state lands, building projects, and mining[cite: 1].

Who were the yanas in Inca society?

A class of people permanently removed from their ayllus to serve as servants, artisans, or workers for the Inca or nobility[cite: 1].

Did the Inca Empire have a distinct merchant class like the Aztecs?

No, they lacked a distinct merchant class because the state heavily regulated production and surplus[cite: 1].

Since they lacked a writing system, what did the Incas use to record numerical data?

Quipu, a system of knotted strings[cite: 1].

How did the Incas adapt their agriculture to steep mountain slopes?

By developing agricultural terraces and using complex irrigation[cite: 1].

What was notable about Inca stone architecture?

They constructed large buildings with precisely cut and fitted stones without using mortar[cite: 1].

What did both the Aztec and Inca empires rely on to support their vast societies?

Intensive agriculture managed by the state and the extraction of tribute and labor[cite: 1].

In what specific craft were Inca artisans highly advanced, making weapons and tools?

Metalworking with gold, silver, copper, and bronze[cite: 1].

What was the primary weakness of the American Indian civilizations when faced with European arrival?

Their relative isolation from external influences and world centers[cite: 1].

Was agriculture strictly required for a Native society to develop a complex social structure?

No, fishers and hunters on the northwest coast developed complex hierarchical societies without agriculture[cite: 1].

Did all Native societies that used irrigated agriculture eventually develop into states?

No, groups like the Pimas practiced irrigated agriculture without ever developing states[cite: 1].

Where does archaeological evidence suggest pottery and agriculture may have developed prior to the Andean region?

The Amazon[cite: 1].

In the early 20th century, what was the most widely repeated (and low) estimate of the Native American population in 1492?

8.4 million[cite: 1].

What is a widely accepted modern, careful estimate for the total Native American population in 1492?

Over 67 million, with some suggesting up to 72 million[cite: 1].

Which two regions are agreed by scholars to have had the largest populations in 1492?

Mesoamerica and the Andes[cite: 1].

According to careful estimates, what was the population of Mexico in 1492?

21.4 million[cite: 1].

According to careful estimates, what was the population of the Andes in 1492?

11.5 million[cite: 1].

In a global context, the population of the Americas in 1500 was roughly equivalent to the population of what other region?

Europe[cite: 1].

What region served as a cultural and material exchange point between the Andes and Mesoamerica?

The Intermediate Area (Northern South America and part of Central America)[cite: 1].

How were most societies in the Amazon and Caribbean islands politically organized?

As sedentary agriculture-based chieftainships[cite: 1].

By 1500, approximately how many different languages existed in North America?

Around 200 languages[cite: 1].

What North American group in the Southwest practiced complex terracing and irrigation?

The Pueblo peoples[cite: 1].

Why were the Great Plains sparsely occupied before the arrival of Europeans?

Farming prairie grasses without metal plows and hunting buffalo without horses was too difficult[cite: 1].

What type of social organization characterized most Indian societies outside the major empires?

Kin-based societies emphasizing communal action and resource ownership[cite: 1].

In kin-based Indian societies, was social ranking typically based on accumulated wealth?

No, material wealth was placed in a religious context, and ranking was not typically based on wealth[cite: 1].

What significant roles did women play in many kin-based Native American societies?

They often held important political roles and played a central role in crop production[cite: 1].

How did Native Americans generally view their relationship with the environment?

They viewed themselves as part of the ecological system, balancing activities with existing resources[cite: 1].

How did the Native American view of ecology contrast with contemporary European and Asian views?

It contrasted sharply with the control-oriented attitudes of European and Asian civilizations[cite: 1].