Maya, Aztec, and Inca

Mesoamerica

Middle America

Atahualpa

Last ruling Inca emperor of Peru. He was executed by the Spanish.

Maya

settled in the Yucatan Peninsula, not far from the Olmecs. A very cultural and intellectual people who used astronomy to create and very accurate calendar.

Tikal

the largest ancient Mayan city in the northern part of Guatemala

Codices

Book-like manuscripts that replaced scrolls

Inca

Largest and most powerful Andean empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco.

Aztec

Lived in Mexico before Cortes claimed the land for Spain

Cuzco

The capital city of the Incan Empire, Located in present-day Peru

Yucatan Peninsula

A peninsula in Central America extending into the Gulf of Mexico between the Bay of Campeche and the Caribbean Sea.

Machu Picchu

Abandoned city high in the Andes mountains that showcases the architectural genius of the Inca

Chinampa

Raised fields constructed along lake shores in Mesoamerica to increase agricultural yields.

Quipu

An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.

Alliance

a joining together for some common purpose

Montezuma

Powerful Aztec monarch who fell to Spanish conquerors

Conquistador

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

Hernan Cortez

A Spanish Conquistador who defeated and conquered the Aztec Empire

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish Conquistador who defeated and conquered the Incan Empire

Peten

the Mayan word for "flat region"

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Spanish explorer who became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean in 1510 while exploring Panama