World History mesoamerica – Flashcards
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Chavin
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900-200 BC, mother culture, Northern Highland of Peru, Established patterns that help unify Andean culture, lay foundations for later civilizations, highly religious/no government, well run for no gov.
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Nazca
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200 BC - 600 AD, Southern coast of peru, Irrigation, underground canals, textiles, Nazca lines, pottery
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Moche
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100 - 700 AD, Northern Coast of Peru, Irrigation systems, tombs for dead, wealthy, jewelry (gold/silver/semi-precious stones), pottery, doctors, musicians,
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Olmec
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1200 B.C.E. to 400 B.C.E, san lorenzo mexico, mother culture, olmec balsalt stone heads, rubber ball game, artistic figure of jaguar, trade iron ore
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Zapotec
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500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E, valley of Oaxaca, carved images of bound prisoners, ritual human sacrafice, star observatory,calendar, elite ruling class, used temples and monuments
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Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes - 1. What did researchers find when they discovered human remains?
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- That they were gruesomely killed SOME WERE SKINNED ALIVE
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Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes - Name and explain the theories created about the use of violence in the Moche culture.
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- Religious, enemies, losers of fierce power, and ritually murdered
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Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes - Why is it difficult to believe and understand the use of torture in the Moche culture?
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- Because, nobody would have the desire to do killing/execution like that in such gruesome ways. Plus it seemed to be used as something to put fear in their enemies' hearts.
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Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes - Towards the end of the article, what do scientists conclude about the origin of the victims?
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- Renowned builders, artists, and warriors
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Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes - 5. Provide the clues that scientists considered to support their conclusion.
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- Skeletons and the technology of their time, the hair and teeth of their victims, and more features about the body
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Why did the Olmec's collapse?
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It is not fully understood, but it is believed outside invaders may have caused it.
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What was the role of trade inthe Olmec civilization?
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They were a large trading netwrok that reached as far as Mexico city and Honduras, trading iron ore and stones
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What were some important contributions to later cultures by the Zapotecs?
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Hiroglyphic writing, calendar system, built first cities
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Why were the Olmecs called the mother culture?
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They contributed much to later mesoamerican civiliazations including the Maya. Much of their art and urban design such as cerimonial centers were copied.
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Why do you think the Oaxaca valley is a good place for civilization to develop?
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Fertile ground with fresh water rivers. Abundent natural resources including tar, salt, rubber, fine clay for pottery.
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Why was Peru a difficult place for civilization to develop?
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It is a mountainous and dry area that requires irrigation to survive
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How was the Chavin culture like the olmec?
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This was the mother culture that influenced all civilization in South America
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How did the Nazca deal with their dry enviroment?
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by developing extensive irrigation systems, including underground canals. This allowed them to farm the land
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What do scholars think the Nazca lines represent?
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Locations of underground water supply or aquifers
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Which peruvian civilization did religion play the most central roll?
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The Chavin was primarily a religious civilization
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How did the Nazca and Moche adapt to their enviroment?
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They both made extensive use of irrigation to support their civilizations.
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How long ago were the first human settlers in the Americas?
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40,000-12,000 years ago
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How did the settlers get into the Americas?
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Land bridge between Siberia and Alaska to Tierra del fuego and southern chile 15,000 years ago. Glaciers retreated causing bridges to go away.
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Did Andean civilizations have writing systems?
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No, this resulted in difficulty in understanding these civilizations. Had to rely on archeology, Spanish conquistadors and oral traditions for information
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What is mesoamerica?
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From central Mexico to central America, means middle america.
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What are some traits of mesoamerica civilization?
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writing, sophisticated calendar system, many gods and religious ideas and urban centers (religious and other important building built around a center plaza)
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What was the diet of mesoamerica?
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beans and maize. Animal protein was not readily available.
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What kind of tools were used?
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The tools and weapons were obsidian. Metallurgy came late and was used mostly for ceremonial objects.
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How did the Olmecs transport the stone heads?
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On large rafts down the river
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What type system did the Olmecs use for numbers?
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They used a bar to represent 5 and a dot was one, so three lines and a dot would be 16. This system was adopted by the Mayans and used in their calendar.
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How old is the most ancient example of writing in the new world?
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A stone tablet made around 900BC was found that contains 62 symbols in 28 shapes.
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What did the Olmecs believe would be the optimal spirit?
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The spirituality and intellect of a man and the strength and ferocity of a jaguar
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Were wheels used by mesoamericans?
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Only in toys. There were no large animals to pull carts so they did not use them.
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What was the population of Monte Alban in the Oaxaca valley?
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5000-25,000
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Where were the earliest evidence of writing and calendar use in mesoamerica?
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San Jose Magote and Monte Alban
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What was the Zapotec calendar based on?
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Two interlocking cycles, each with its own days and months. One was the solar cycle with 365 days the other had 260 days.
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What are the geographic features of Andean South America?
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Dry desert along the Pacific coast, steep river valleys and the Andes mountains. They grew maize, beans, squash, cotton, potato and quinoa. They also had llamas and alpaca animals.
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What were some of the religious symbols of the Chavin?
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Monkeys, serpents and jaguars as well as a fanged deity (god) with human and feline (cat) features similar to the jaguar human of the Olmecs
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Did the Chavin have a social structure?
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Yes they had social stratification where you have different classes of people.
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Where were the Nazca located?
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The coastal plain of Peru. They were one of the first territorial states in the Andes
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What were the Nazcas known for?
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underground canals, irrigation systems, fine pottery and textiles, Nazca lines and headhunting
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What were the Moche known for?
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Pyramid of the sun, pyramid of the moon, skillful pottery showing life, religion and war. Ritual sacrifice by warrior priests and priestesses. Burying their lords with their goods and wealth.
