Mayan Civilization
The Mayans lived in this region, which includes parts of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
What is MesoAmerica
The Aztec capital city, built on an island in a lake, was called this.
What is Tenochtitlán?
Who was at the top of the social class?
Kings/Nobles
The Mayans built powerful city-states ruled by these leaders.
What are Kings
The Mayan civilization slowly declined because of these main problems.
What are drought, warfare, and disease?
The Mayans are famous for developing this type of writing system.
What are hieroglyphs?
The Aztecs practiced this to honor their gods, sometimes using captured warriors.
What is human sacrifice?
The primary staple food of both the Maya and Aztec diets, often made into tortillas.
Maize (corn)
The Aztecs formed this alliance with two other city-states to control central Mexico.
What is the Triple Alliance?
The Spanish brought this disease, which killed many Aztecs.
What is SmallPox
What were the large triangular buildings that Mayans Built called?
What were pyramids or temples?
This Spanish explorer led the conquest of the Aztecs in 1519.
Who is Hernán Cortés?
What religion were the Aztecs? (hint: they preached multiple Gods)
Polytheistic
The Aztecs became powerful by demanding these from conquered peoples.
What are tribute payments (or taxes)?
What role did disease play in the fall of these empires?
Diseases like smallpox decimated populations, weakening societies and making them vulnerable to conquest.
What mathematic concept did the Mayans discover?
The concept of zero
The Aztecs built artificial islands to grow food, called these.
What are chinampas?
This was required for both boys and girls in the Aztec Empire.
What is education
This civilization created the accurate calendars and astronomy
What is the Mayan Civilization
What kind of weapons did the Spanish use? What kind of weapons did the Aztecs use?
Spanish- Steel silver swords.
Aztecs- Wooden obsidian spears
How did the Mayans get their resources?
Farming
The Aztecs created this system to record information using symbols.
What is a codex?
What purpose did the Triple Alliance serve in the Aztec Empire?
Expanded the territory
The Aztecs believed their gods led them to build their capital where they saw this sign.
What is an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak?
What were the social classes?
The Mayan and Aztec society was divided into classes, including nobles, priests, warriors, merchants, farmers, slaves.