The First Peoples of the Americas - Lecture Review

Flashcards covering early innovations, complex societies, the Olmec civilization, the emergence of Mesoamerican cities like Monte Albán, and key aspects of Mesoamerica and the Andes on the eve of European contact.

Utilitarian Items (Ancient Americas)

Finely crafted pottery, woven baskets, and carved gourds used as storage containers and cooking vessels for daily life.

Ritualistic Items (Ancient Americas)

Anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, ceremonial axes, and elaborate drinking vessels, often bearing symbolic imagery, created for ritual purposes.

Metalworking (Ancient Americas)

By approximately 1500 B.C.E., ancient Americans began hammering thin sheets of native copper and gold into ornate objects, primarily using cold-hammering and annealing, not typically smelting or casting in early stages.

Prestige Goods

Metal objects frequently found in burial sites of high-status individuals, indicating their use as symbols of power or wealth within their societies.

Specialized Labor (Complex Societies)

A characteristic of complex societal structures, where individuals focus on specific roles beyond subsistence farming, such as skilled construction workers, rulers, and ritual specialists, enabled by agricultural surplus.

Ceremonial Centers (Ancient Americas)

Hubs that served as religious, administrative, economic, and political focal points for surrounding regions, characterized by monumental constructions like pyramids and elaborate plazas.

Social Stratification (Complex Societies)

Widened social divisions reflecting different occupations, statuses, and access to resources, leading to clear distinctions between elite and commoner classes.

Olmec

Among the first groups in Mesoamerica to develop extensive ceremonial complexes, often considered the 'Mother Culture' due to their influence on later civilizations.

San Lorenzo

A major Olmec ceremonial center that peaked between 1200 and 900 B.C.E., built on an artificially raised platform and featuring an advanced underground drainage system.

La Venta

A significant Olmec ceremonial center that flourished between 900 and 400 B.C.E., uniquely situated on an island and featuring a remarkable cone-shaped mound, considered the earliest Mesoamerican pyramid.

Giant Basalt Heads

Iconic colossal sculptures crafted by the Olmec, measuring over 8 feet high and weighing up to 20 tons, believed to be portraits of individual Olmec rulers, transported from over 50 miles away.

Jaguar Motif (Olmec Art)

A distinctive artistic style depicting beings combining human-like and jaguar-like features, characterized by downturned mouths and cleft heads, suggesting a deep spiritual connection to the jaguar deity.

Mesoamerican Ballgame

A significant ritual and recreational sport played in stone courts which the Olmec are widely credited with originating, holding deep cosmological and symbolic meaning for later societies.

Classic Period (Mesoamerica)

A period beginning in the latter half of the first millennium B.C.E., marked by the growth of ceremonial centers into general urban centers with increased occupational diversity and sharpened social hierarchies.

Monte Albán

A Zapotec capital established around 500 B.C.E. in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico, which dominated the surrounding area for over 1000 years and served as a significant urban and ceremonial center.

Palacio de los Danzantes

A structure at Monte Albán dating from 500-250 B.C.E., named for the 150 distorted male figures adorning its exterior walls, believed to represent prisoners or sacrificial victims.

Aztec Empire

A vast tributary empire located in the Central Valley of Mexico in the 15th century, characterized by a complex societal structure, advanced agricultural techniques like chinampas, and a powerful military.

Inca Empire

A sprawling empire along the Andean spine of South America in the 15th century, known for its unparalleled system of administration, extensive road networks, and sophisticated agricultural terracing.

Nahuatl

The Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Nahuas, the most numerous and politically dominant group in 15th-century Mesoamerica, including the Mexica (Aztecs) and earlier Toltecs.

Tarascan (P'urhépecha)

A powerful rival empire to the Aztecs, located in modern Michoacán, known for their unique metallurgy and formidable resistance.

Chichimecas

Largely nomadic, hunter-gatherer groups from the northern arid frontiers of Mesoamerica, often viewed as barbaric by settled agricultural peoples despite sometimes playing significant roles.

Chinampas

Advanced agricultural techniques, specifically floating gardens, used by the Aztecs to sustain large populations and produce food surplus.

Human and Auto-sacrifice (Mesoamerica)

Elaborate religious practices performed by rulers and priests, believed necessary to appease gods, ensure fertility, maintain cosmic balance, and guarantee successful harvests.