Vocabulary
This Incan record-keeping device was made of knotted strings used to keep track of numbers, population data, and goods.
What is a Quipu?
This farming technique, used by both the Olmec and Maya, involved clearing dense farmland by burning overgrowth.
What is slash-and-burn agriculture?
The Olmec created massive stone sculptures of heads up to 11 feet tall and weighing 25 tons made from this type of stone.
What is basalt?
The divine supreme ruler at the top of the Inca class structure who was believed to be a direct descendant of the sun god.
Who is the Sapa Inca?
The Olmec, Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations all practiced this religious belief system, meaning they worshipped many gods.
What is polytheism?
These artificial floating gardens were engineered by the Aztecs by piling fertile soil from the bottom of Lake Texcoco onto reed mats.
What are Chinampas?
To farm on steep slopes and prevent soil erosion in the mountains, both the Maya and Incas cut steplike fields into hillsides called this.
What is terraced farming (or terraces)?
To cross steep mountain rivers and gorges, the Incas engineered these structures using heavy rope cables anchored to stone towers on each side.
What are suspension bridges?
In Maya public trials, this specific person had the unique legal authority to pardon a convicted criminal or reduce their sentence.
Who is the victim of the crime?
The Incas worshipped Inti as their most important deity, who served as the god of this natural force.
What is the Sun (the Sun God)?
These fast relay runners in the Inca Empire ran 4 to 6 miles along mountain roads to carry messages and fresh goods across the empire.
Who are Chasquis?
In swampy lowlands, Maya farmers built raised-earth platforms surrounded by these to drain excess rainwater and harvest multiple crops a year.
What are canals?
These raised stone roadways built over water connected the island city of Tenochtitlán directly to the mainland.
What are causeways?
Unlike the Aztecs who paid taxes with physical goods, Inca citizens paid their labor tax to the government through this service system.
What is the Mita?
The Maya built a famous pyramid at Chichén Itzá positioned according to the sun's position during equinoxes using their knowledge of this science.
What is astronomy?
An artificial canal or pipe structure constructed by ancient civilizations to transport fresh drinking and irrigation water into cities and crops.
What is an Aqueduct?
The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán was engineered on an island located in the middle of this body of water.
What is Lake Texcoco?
The Maya developed a 3-symbol mathematical system consisting of a dot for one, a horizontal bar for five, and a shell symbol representing this number.
What is zero?
This legal principle enforced in Tenochtitlán required all citizens to follow established laws, with only the divine emperor being exempt.
What is the rule of law?
Human sacrifice in Aztec religion was frequently performed to provide blood offerings to Tonatiuh (god of the sun) and Huitzilopochtli, the god of this.
What is war?
The basic extended-family unit in Inca society that worked together on land was called the _____, while the commoner housing unit in Aztec society was called the _____.
What are the Ayllu (Inca) and Calpulli (Aztec)?
High in the cold elevations of the Andes Mountains, this resilient root crop was one of the most vital agricultural staples for the Incas.
What is the potato?
Maya cities and ceremonial centers were connected by paved roadways covered in white limestone, earning them this nickname.
What are "white roads"?
The Aztec Empire originally expanded after Tenochtitlán formed a powerful political _____ with two neighboring city-states.
What is an alliance?
Maya religious centers featured large ornate plazas where priests and citizens played this sacred Mesoamerican ball game.
What is pok-a-tok?