Olmec
Why are the Olmec called the Mother civilization?
-First great civilization in Mesoamerica that influenced all those that followed.
What did the Maya use calendars for?
-recording marriages, birthdates, and important dates for honoring the gods.
The name the Aztecs originally called themselves.
-Mexica
Where is Mesoamerica located?
-Middle of Mexico to the middle of Central America
What was the Aztec empire like when Moctezuma II was in power?
-The empire was both wealthy, and powerful
Where in Mesoamerica did the Olmec live?
-north coast
-along the Gulf of Mexico
2 unique features of Maya mathematics
1. first to use zero in calculations
2. based their number system on 20
Name of the biggest city in the Aztec empire
Tenochtitlan
What physical feature lies between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental in the interior of Mesoamerica
-Plateau of Mexico
The way the Aztec increased the size of Tenochtitlan
-they built Chinampas (man-made islands)
Something the Olmec did that the Maya didn't do
-carved giant stone head sculptures
When did the Maya civilization reach it's peak?
-about A.D. 250
The leader of the Aztec people when their empire was conquered by Spanish explorers
The year he became emperor
Moctezuma II
1502
What important Peninsula lies on the north coast of Mesoamerica?
-the Yucatan Peninsula
True or False
The Olmec were divided into social classes based on wealth and power
True
Who were the most powerful classes in the Olmec civilization?
priests and government officials
Theories as to why the Maya civilization declined
-civil war
-drought/crop failure
-invasion
The reason the emperor of the Aztec welcomed the Spanish explorer
Thought he might be Quetzlcoatl
Where did the Aztecs build their biggest city?
(be specific)
-2 swampy islands on Lake Texcoco
The most important feature of the Yucatan Peninsula
Cenotes (source of fresh drinking water)
4 accomplishments of the Olmec
1. Stone head sculptures
2. Number system
3. Form of writing
4. Calendar
List the responsibilities of the family members in an Maya household
-Men and older boys farmed, hunted, and fished
-Women and older girls took care of household chores, clothes, firewood, and babysitting
-small children learned about chores, but mostly played.
After growing the city of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs next move in an effort to grow their empire
-formed alliances with other city-states
The bodies of water located along the coasts of Mesoamerica
North Coast-Gulf of Mexico
South Coast-Pacific Ocean
True or False
The landscape of Mesoamerica influenced the people who lived there by helping them develop many different agricultural crops.
True