Ch. 1 Vocab Flashcards
(32 cards)
Kachinas
Impersonations of the ancestral by Southwest Indians.
Example sentence: The Hopi tribe performs Kachina dances during ceremonies.
Cahokia
One of the largest urban centers created by Mississippian peoples, containing 30,000 residents in 1250.
Additional information: Cahokia is located in present-day Illinois.
Aztecs
A warrior people who dominated the Valley of Mexico from 1100-1521. They built a mighty empire by conquering neighboring cities.
Example sentence: The Aztecs worshipped many gods, including Huitzilopochtli.
Transoceanic migrations
A population migration across an ocean.
Additional information: Transoceanic migrations played a significant role in the spread of human populations.
Beringia
A subcontinent bridging Asia and North America, named after the Bering Straits.
Example sentence: Beringia served as a land bridge for early human migrations.
Athapascan
A people that began to settle the forests in northwestern area of North America around 5000 B.C.E.
Additional information: Athapascan tribes are known for their diverse languages and cultures.
Clovis tradition
A powerful new and sophisticated style of tool making, unlike anything found in the Old World.
Example sentence: Clovis points are distinctive stone tools associated with this tradition.
Pleistocene overkill
Intensified hunting efforts brought on in response to lowered reproduction and survival rates of large animals.
Additional information: Pleistocene overkill is a controversial theory regarding prehistoric extinctions.
Archaic period
The period roughly 10,000 to 2,500 years ago marked by the retreat of glaciers.
Additional information: The Archaic period saw significant cultural developments in North America.
Mesoamerica
The region stretching from central Mexico to Central America.
Example sentence: Mesoamerica is known for its ancient civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs.
Clans
Groups of allied families.
Rancherias
Dispersed settlements of Indian farmers in the Southwest.
Olmec
Sculpted imposing monuments, including 8-foot-high stone heads.
Mayan
Possessed talent for engineering and mathematics. Also, developed complex and accurate calendars.
Hohokam
Built irrigation canals to bring water to their crops.
Anasazi
Constructed multi-story buildings of adobe and stone.
Hopewell
Culture whose settlements featured huge geometric earthworks.
Iroquoians
Practiced slash-and-burn agriculture.
Mississippian people
Built Cahokia, one of the largest early American cities.
Leif Ericsson
Found a water route to Asia around the tip of Africa.
Vikings
Norse people.
Vasco de Balboa
Became the first European known to gaze upon the Pacific Ocean.
Francisco Pizarro
Conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.
Caravels
Portuguese ships.
