AP World History Vocab Chapter 7 – Mesoamerica – Flashcards
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Aleutian Islands
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Land bridge made of islands from Russia to Alaska. Allowed humans to migrate to the Americas.
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Olmec Civilization
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One of the first Mesoamerica civilizations created around 1500 BCE. Known are the "Rubber People" Used slash and burn farming and were polytheistic. Built big stone heads.
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Cacao
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used from the cocao tree and are used to make chocolate. Raw form of chocolate.
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Obsidian
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Dark natural glass formed by the cooling of lava. Used as tools, mirrors and knives.
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Chavin Civilization
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Dominated a heavily populated region that included the Peruvian coastal plains and foothills of the Andes. Had good control of trade and important economic advantages. Agriculture was based on maize. Domesticated llamas. Invented metallurgial techniques. Earliest South American civilization.
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Llama
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First domesticated animal in South America. Used to farm and transport goods. First used by the Chavin.
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Maya Civilization
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Centered their society to the east and south of the Olmec settlements. Were polytheistic and perform human sacrafices. Used slash and burn farming. Built more than 80 large ceremonial centers. Was one of the longest lasting Mesoamerican civilization. Ceremonial ball games.
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Slash and Burn Agriculture
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The cutting and burning of trees and plants to clear and fertilize land to grow crops. Then they let the land regrow. Repeated process.
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Stelae
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Writing by the Mayas inscribed on a stone slab or pillar. Used to record important events at temples as well as people. Set up near ceremonial pyramids.
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Human Sacrifice
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Used by some Mesoamerican civilizations in order to appease their gods. Usually bloody and gory.
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Teotihuacan Civilization
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City was a center of religious rituals and gov't administration. Monuments were in the pyramidal form found all over Central America. Might have been the first real city in the Western Hemisphere. Also a center for trade between diffrent Mesoamerican civilizations.
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Toltec Civilization
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A group that migrated from northwestern Mexico. Were the first to unify central Mexico after the Teotiuacan. Crested centralized state based on military power and conquered lands from Tula south to South America. Had two rulers rather than one. Fromed by post classical warrior tribe.
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Quetzalcoatl
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Aztec god who was known as the feathered serpant.
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Aztec Civilization
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Built the main city if Tenochtitlan. Rose to power by military might. Had tough fighting skills and aggressive expansion. Society was patriarchal. Polytheistic and believed in human sacrafice. Used codices and chinampas.
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Codices
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Azetec pictographic records.
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Tenochtitlan
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The main city used by the Aztecs. Had large marketplaces used for trade. Several causeways were connected to the main land.
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Chinampas
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Floating gardens that the Aztecs used. Used to plant crops in soil and could be irrigated.
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Tribute System
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Imposed by the Aztecs on conquered peoples who contributed with maize and other foods to suppeor Tenochitlan.
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Huitzilopochtli
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Chief Aztec god. Most human sacrafices by the Aztecs were made to him.
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Moche Civilization
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A group of people that built a society that lasted form 100-700 CE. Built an extensive irrigation system from rivers coming out of mountains. Had lots of wealth and power. Left no written records. Came to power after the fall of the Chavin.
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Inca Civilization
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Formed a vast imperial state during the 15th century. Began in Cuzco(capital). Land stretched about 2500 miles north and south alsong the Andes range. Were polyhteistic. Built road ways and used terrace farming.
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Cuzco
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A town set on a plateau 11,000 feet above sea level. Where the Inca civilizations first began and the Inca's capital.
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Khipus
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Record keeping system of cords and bead developed by the Incas.
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Mit'a Labor System
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Inca system of forced unional labor. Each person owed compulsory labor services to the Inca state. Men did heavy labor and women made textiles pottery and jewelry.
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Allyus
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Inca bureaucrats kept track of these labor systems owed by local communities. Local communities within the Inca labor systems.
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Quechua
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Inca spoken language.
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Anasazi
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People who lived in southwestern U.S. Used and live along the Mississppi and Ohio Rivers to irrigate crops of maize, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Built pueblos.
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Pueblos
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Multi-story stone-and-timber villages that were connected by roads. Contained ritual enclisures.
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Kivas
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Ritual enclosures that were found in pueblos. Used by the Anasazi people.
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Cahokia
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One of the largest and most important mound-builder settlements. Located along th Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
