The Maya
Unlike the Aztec's single empire, the Maya were organized into these independent units that often went to war with one another.
City states
Which country conquered the Aztec?
Spain
What is the term for the farming method in which trees and other plants are cut down and burned so the ash can fertilize the soil?
Slash and burn agriculture
How did the Aztec gain victims for human sacrifices?
They waged many wars
Tenochtitlan is what major city today?
Mexico City
What is one of the most important crops for the Maya?
Manioc or Corn (beans and squash also important)
What was the name for the Aztec capital city?
Tenochtitlan
What is an example of a Maya city?
Tikal, Palenque, Copan, etc.
What is the name of the lake where the Aztec built their capital city?
Lake Texcoco
What civilization was the model for future Mesoamerican civilizations?
The Olmec
The Maya were the only Mesoamerican culture to develop a complete writing system consisting of over 800 signs called what?
glyphs
What is the name for the elite class of Aztec warriors?
Jaguar Warriors
What did the Maya do to increase their power and land?
They fought wars
What is the term for articifical islands?
chinampas
What language did the Aztec speak?
Nahuatl
What is the name for the oldest surviving Mayan book?
The Dresden Codex
How did the Aztec pass down stories of their history and religion?
Oral Tradition
What are two possible reasons for the decline of the Maya?
War, drought, overpopulation, disease
How did the Aztec create their empire?
What is the difference between how the Maya passed power between rulers and how the Aztec passed power between rulers?
In the Mayan civilization, power passed from father to son, and in the Aztec civilization the Supreme Council chose the next emperor
What is the name for the stone monuments that were carved with the history of the Maya?
Stelae
What were the four groups of people on the Aztec social structure?
Emperor, Nobles, Commoners and Slaves
Who was the high priest in Maya civilization?
the king
Which conquistador conquered the Aztec
Hernan Cortes
The 'Triple Alliance' was the foundation of the Aztec Empire. Name the three cities that formed it.
Tenochtitlan, Tlacopan and Texcoco