Material Culture + Monuments Exam 3

Atlatl

A spear-thrower used before the bow and arrow; increases distance and velocity of a projectile.

Black-on-White pottery

Diagnostic ceramic style of the Ancestral Pueblo; used to track trade and chronology.

Cenote

Natural limestone sinkhole in the Yucatán; used by the Maya for fresh water and ritual sacrifice.

Chac Mool

Reclining stone sacrificial altar figure found in Aztec and Maya contexts.

Clovis Blades

Distinctive fluted stone spear points once thought to represent the first Americans.

Geoglyphs

Large-scale drawings on the ground; associated with the Paracas and Nazca cultures.

Great Houses

Massive multi-story masonry buildings in Chaco Canyon, such as Pueblo Bonito.

Inca roads

A 40,000 km network connecting the empire to Cuzco; used by Chasqui (messengers).

Khipu

Inca record-keeping system using knotted strings; recorded census data, taxes, and narrative.

Kiva

Circular, underground ritual room used by the Ancestral Pueblo for ceremonies.

Llullaillaco Children

Three perfectly preserved Inca mummies found on a volcano; evidence of Capacocha sacrifice.

Moche Pottery

Famous for realistic "Portrait Vessels" depicting rulers and daily life.

Monk's Mound

The largest earthen pyramid in North America, located at the site of Cahokia.

Mounds

General term for earthen structures (platform or effigy) used for living or ritual.

Mummy bundles

Elaborate textile-wrapped burials characteristic of the Paracas culture.

Nazca Geoglyphs

Massive desert ground drawings (animals/shapes) visible from above in Peru.

Petroglyphs

Art created by carving or pecking into the surface of a rock.

Pictographs

Art created by painting onto a rock surface.

Pueblo Bonito

The largest D-shaped Great House in Chaco Canyon; center of trade and ritual.

Serpent Mound

The world’s largest animal-shaped Effigy Mound; built by the Hopewell in Ohio.

Temple of the Great Jaguar

Tall Maya pyramid in Tikal; served as a funerary monument for a king.

Templo Mayor

The double pyramid at Tenochtitlan dedicated to the gods of War and Rain.