Early Civilizations
True or False: Early American religions were monotheistic (believing in one god)
FALSE! They were polytheistic (believing in multiple gods)
What was the cause of the Maya civilizations decline?
Trick question! We have no idea!
The Aztec Civilization was located in modern-day ________.
Mexico
What geographical feature ran through the Inca Empire?
The Andes Mountains
Did the North American tribes have contact with the Maya and Aztec?
Yes! Use of pottery shows contact with other tribes in Mesoamerica.
This land bridge used to connect Asia and North America, and was used by the first people to cross into the Americas.
Beringia
An artificial island used to cultivate crops made of mud piled atop reed mats that were anchored to the lake bed with willow trees.
Chinampa
Why were the Aztec so unpopular with their conquered provinces?
They would use conquered people as human sacrifices for their religion.
The Inca's "writing" system, which was a set of knotted strings, was known as...
Quipu
Symbols of unity of family, clan or group; natural object that person, family, or clan identifies with.
Totem
This culture is known for sculpting monumental heads from stone and being the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica.
Olmec
The Mayan writing system consisted of 800 symbols known as...
Glyphs
Feathered serpent, god of the Toltecs and Aztecs, and other Mesoamerican peoples.
Quetzalcoatl
Incan Emperor who started a civil war against his brother in order to control all of the empire.
Atahualpa
Ceremonial feast at which possessions are given away or destroyed to display wealth or enhance prestige.
Potlatch
This civilization, located in present-day Oaxaca, built temples and developed an early form of a hieroglyphic writing system.
Zapotec
The bark-paper codex used by the Mayan to record historical important historical events was called what?
Popul Vuh
Describe Aztec society.
1. An Emperor with absolute power.
2. Noble class (Military leaders, government officials, priests.)
3. Merchants, artisans, soldiers.
4. Farmers and enslaved people.
Powerful Incan Ruler that conquered all of Peru and enlarged the size of the empire.
Huayna Capac
This trading Network tied tribes together from all over North America, from the Rockies to Atlantic, Great Lakes to Gulf, etc.
Mississippian Trade Network
This urban center was the first of its kind in the Early Americas.
Monte Alban
Explain the Mayan religion.
The Maya believe in many gods, who could be good, evil, or both. Each day is a god whose behavior could be predicted with calendars. There were many ways of worshiping: prayer, offerings, giving blood. Maya also would conduct human sacrifices to please gods and “balance the world”.
Explain what made the capital city of Tenochtitlán so unique.
Floating islands used to grow crops and used canals used to transfer goods to the market. Built on an island in the middle of the lake, which had palaces, temples, and government buildings.
This system required the Inca to work on public projects for the government.
Mita system
This alliance of Native American tribes formed for joint defense and cooperation among tribes.
The Iroquois League