MesoAmerica

Central America

a region of seven countries between Mexico and South America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama

Mayans

a Mesoamerican civilization located on the Yucatan Peninsula that existed b/t 2000BC -1539AD

Hieroglyphics

Writing system that uses pictures as symbols for words or ideas

Ritual

religious ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Slash and burn agriculture

farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

Semi divine

Half human half god

Mayan Calendar

365-day calendar based on planets/stars

Aztecs

Mesoamerican people who built an empire in central Mexico that flourished from 1428 to 1519CE

Tenochtitlan

Old Capital of the Aztec empire/Current Capital of the country of Mexico.

Incas

Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in Peru

Andes Mountains

Mountain ranges located along the Pacific coast of Central and South America

Machu Pichu

Abandoned Incan city in the Andes mountains