The Americas Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
Aztec
A
- complex state civilization and empire
- large territory, large population, standing military w ranks (kings, nobles, elites, merchants, peasants), and complex laws & punishments
- known for writing and books
2
Q
Ballgame
A
- orrigin from Olmec
- sometimes sacrificial, celbration, or ritual war
- use hips to strike ball toward pillar or hoop, leather pads and helmets
3
Q
Blood Sacrifice
A
- performed by the Maya where blood was collected in rope thorugh tongue or foreskin then rope burned to give to Gods
4
Q
Chinampa
A
- agriculture in Tenochtitlan
- artifical islands built in the lake
5
Q
Classic Maya Collapse
A
- during post classic period
- population collapse, not end of maya civilization
- resulted in migration not total disappearance
6
Q
Maya
A
- sister culture to the Olmec
- political system: city-states, not empire
- known for hieroglyphic writing, ritual calendar, divine kingship, blood sacrifices
- flourshied during classic period
7
Q
Maya Political Cycles
A
5 step pattern:
1. rise trough trade, treaties, marriages, and conquests
2. territory would extend past one rulers control
3. core prospers and invest in local area while delgating rule of the periphery
4. peripheral regions rebel and ally
5. conflict > a new power emerges and restarts the cycle
8
Q
Mesoamerica
A
- middle america, defined by shared cultural traits
- Archaic, Preclassic, Classic (peak Maya), Postclassic (population collapse. not loss but migration)
9
Q
Nahuatl
A
language spoken by aztecs
- teotihuacan mean home of the gods
10
Q
Olmec
A
-cheifdoms along the gulf coast
- known for art motifs, religous symbols, colossal heads
- developed in situ with extensive trade between chiefdoms
- region w rich soils
11
Q
Olmec Colassal Heads
A
- huge carved stone statues of the Olmec who wore the ballgame helmet on they head
12
Q
Otherworld
A
- ## maya rulers linked themselved ot the past, to the Olmec, and to the otherworld (Hell)
13
Q
Postclassic
A
- time of population collapse and migration, not complete cultural loss
14
Q
Preclassic
A
- rise of sedentary villages and first signs of political/social complexity
- focus on marine resourced and forest
15
Q
Tenochtilan
A
- aztec captial, built in a lake like mythical Aztlan
- agriculture by chinampas, artificial islands
- estimated population of 200k at spanish arrival
16
Q
Teotihuacan
A
- major city meaning home of the gods in nahutal
- rose after volcanic desruction of cuicuilco
- cuicuilico and teotihican 2 chiefdos fighting over controlled the basin of mexico
17
Q
Altiplano
A
high plateau region of the andes, includes lake titicaca
- supported dense populations and cites like tiwankau
- high elvation
18
Q
Andes
A
- region of south america with dramatic geogrpahy and enviornmental diversity
- coast, highlands, amazon rainforest
- site of multiple state organized societies before inca unification
19
Q
Atacama Desert
A
- one of the driest deserts on earth, but fresh water in their region
- where chincorro civilization originated
- sourced and relied on marine resouces
- created earlier mummies & tattooing
20
Q
Ayllu
A
basic social unit of inca society - family clans
-organized religion, agriculture, and labor
- anchored the royal acnestor cult
21
Q
caral
A
- one of the early coastal ceremonial centers
- site of u shaped/circular strcutres in sedentary villages of several hundred
22
Q
Chavin de Huantar
A
- pyramid complex during the eary horizion
- artifical mountina, surrounded by ritual water features
- underlying belief: earth floats on ocean, rain return milky way
23
Q
chincorro
A
- first state level society in the atacama
- semi sedentary foragers using marine and freshwater resources
- created the earlieset mummies in the world and tattooing
24
Q
Cusco
A
- inca capital city where rulers held court surrounded by elite and golden idols
25
Early Horizion
centered on chavin de huantar and its pan andean beleif system
26
early intermediate period
rise of moche and nazcca cultures with large irrigation and ritual centers
27
huaca
sacred hill or mountain
- used in nazca pyramids and later andead religous practices
28
huascar
- one of two brothers in the inca civil war after the last sapa inca died of disease
- lost to atahualpa, who consolidated power before the spanish arrived
29
Inca
late horizon empire, unifying highlands and lowlands
- centered at cusco and organized around the ayllu system
- ruled by sapa inca
30
Initial period
- marked the begininnig of political centralization in the Andes
31
Lake Titicaca
- region around where Tiwanaku rose
- wealthiest area due to easy agriculture and extensive resources
32
Late Horizon
period of inca cosolidation and conquest across the andes
33
late intermediate period
saw regional states like Sican, Chimu, and chachapoya before inca unifciation
34
middle horizon
rise of twanaku and wari as major andean powers
35
mitmaq
- labor tax system used by inca to control rebellious popultations
- communities were moved from homelands to reduce the rebellion risk
36
Moche
- culture of northern coastal Peru
- known for irrigation, potteyr, sex images, warefare
- liekly collpased from drought
37
Mummification
- practiced by Chinchorro and later inca in the royal ancestor cult
- mummies fed clothes and seen as living ancestors
38
Nazca
- Local chiefdom with non urban ceremonial sites, made sacrifices, and took trophy heads during warfare
- agriculture of corn and potatoes and cotton
- pyramids (huacas) and geoglyphs
39
Preceramic
time before widespread agriculture and political centralization in the andes
40
Quipu
scribes would record using knots in ropes (inca)
41
Royal Ancestor Cult
- inca practice of venerating mummifed ancestors
- mummies held land and power, new rulers had to conquer new lands (split inheritance)
42
Sapa Inca
the one true ruler of the Inca Empire
- central figure in conquest reglion and state control
43
Sican
- filled the Moche vacuum in Landayeque valley
- known for gold work
- overthrown by the chimu
44
Tawantinsuyu
- the name of the inca empire, meaning four region together
- unified through religion, conquest, and infrastructure
45
Tiwanka
- powerful city around lake titicaca
- became econmic and religous center, then mysteriously collapsed
46
Wari
-urban center, with stone walls ritual warfare anf trophy heads
- worked via core periphery model
decined
wari and tiwanaku wera turning point in peruvian and prehistory
