Geography & Origins
Most historians believe the first Americans traveled from Asia to North America by crossing this land bridge.
What is the Bering Strait?
This term describes the belief practiced by early Americans that plants, animals, and even rocks have living spirits
What is animism?
The Olmecs, the first urban civilization in Mexico, are most famous for these massive sculptures that could weigh up to 50 tons.
What are stone heads?
This Spanish leader of the conquistadors formed alliances with local groups to conquer the Aztec Empire in 1521.
Who was Hernán Cortés?
This crop, originally grown in Mesoamerica, was the most important part of the early American economy.
What is maize (or corn)?
This region, which includes modern-day southern Mexico and parts of Central America, was ideal for agriculture due to its warm climate and fertile volcanic soil.
What is Mesoamerica?
This sacred text contains the legends and history of the Maya people
What is the Popol Vuh?
The Maya developed a highly advanced writing system consisting of 800 of these symbols.
What are hieroglyphics?
This was the official language of the Inca Empire, which everyone was required to speak for business and government.
What is Quechua?
Instead of money, the Incas used this system where people performed physical labor as a way of paying taxes.
What is the mit’a system?
This rocky and steep mountain range in South America served as the home for civilizations like the Incas
What are the Andes Mountains?
To receive guidance and protection, early Americans often prayed and made sacrifices to these deceased family members
Who are ancestors?
This famous Inca site is a testament to their skill in cutting limestone blocks with such precision that they didn't need mortar
What is Machu Picchu?
This Aztec emperor reigned when the empire reached its largest size but was later imprisoned by Spanish soldiers.
Who was Moctezuma II?
These valuable beans were used by the Maya and Aztecs as a form of currency and to make a luxury chocolate drink.
What are cacao beans?
This weather pattern moves nutrient-rich waters to the coastline near the Andes, providing a large fish population for settlers
What is the Humboldt Current?
He was the Aztec god of the sun and war, to whom warriors sacrificed hearts to prevent the sun from disappearing.
Who is Huitzilopochtli?
The Aztecs built these "floating gardens" or artificial islands to create more farmland for their capital city
What are chinampas?
This disease, brought by Europeans, killed over half of the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan and even the Inca leader Huayna Capac.
What is smallpox?
In the social hierarchy of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas, this group made up the upper class.
Who are the nobles?
This physical feature in the Andes provided water for farming and is the source of the Amazon River.
What are small tributaries?
This Inca god of the sun was believed to be the direct ancestor of the Sapa Incas.
Who is Inti?
Because they lacked a writing system, the Incas used these colored and knotted string tools to keep records.
What are quipus?
This Inca ruler used a powerful army and non-violent negotiations to establish the empire in 1437.
Who was Pachacuti?
This volcanic rock was mined by Mesoamericans to create sharp tools, weapons, and mirrors.
What is obsidian?