Early Migrations
What major change forced early Americans to adapt by farming after the Ice Age?
What is the flooding of Beringia due to melting glaciers?
This city, built by the Zapotec, became one of Mesoamerica’s earliest urban centers.
What is Monte Albán?
These “floating gardens” allowed the Aztecs to farm on shallow lake beds.
What are chinampas?
This lake-based capital city became the center of the Aztec Empire.
What is Tenochtitlan?
This environmental feature helped early civilizations develop farming, trade, and permanent settlements.
What is fertile land or favorable geography?
When hunting large animals became unreliable, what did early Americans turn to as a new method of survival?
What is agriculture or farming?
Massive stone heads made by this civilization show early artistic skill and religious symbolism.
Who are the Olmec?
This mountain empire used terrace farming and a centrally controlled economy.
What is the Incan Empire?
These items were widely traded in Maya markets.
What is Jade and Cacao?
This 14,000-mile system connected the Incan Empire and used runners to deliver messages.
What is the Incan road network?
North and South America contained stretches of unbroken land. How many miles was this?
What is 9,000 miles?
The Zapotec influenced the Maya by leaving
What are hieroglyphics and a calendar system?
This empire’s capital, Cuzco, was the center of government and religion.
What is the Incan Empire?
This group developed the most advanced writing system in the ancient Americas.
Who are the Maya?
This Spanish Conquistador conquered the Aztecs and his Spanish army killed thousands of people.
Who is Hernando Cortés?
Early migrants likely followed these across the land bridge into the Americas.
What are migrating herds of animals?
Who built centers in South America? (Hint: there are 3 names)
What are Moche, Nazca, and Chavin?
The polytheistic religions of the Maya and Aztecs included this dramatic practice intended to please their gods.
What is human or blood sacrifice?
This type of government system used by the Incas controlled labor, farming, and resources for the entire empire.
What is a centralized or total government control system?
A belief system involving many gods.
What is polytheism?
These large mammals disappeared after the Ice Age, encouraging people to experiment with new food sources. (Hint: it is one of the characters from "Ice Age", the movie).
What are megafauna (like mammoths)?
This Olmec innovation likely inspired later writing systems.
What are glyphs or symbolic carvings?
This conquistador captured Atahualpa, leading to the collapse of the Inca Empire.
Who is Francisco Pizarro?
Aztec writing was based on these visual symbols rather than a full alphabet.
What are pictographs or glyphs?
This ancient civilization believed in human heart sacrifice.
Who are the Aztecs?