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The time period of history and cultures in the Americas before Columbus arrived in 1492.
Pre-Columbian
A member of the first mesoamerican civilization in Guatamala and Mexico. They were known for jade work, pyramids and giant headstone statues.
A member of one of the native South American peoples that ruled in present day Peru. They were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.
Inca
A male landowner in the middle ages.
Lord
A system in the middle ages in which people were given land and protection by people of a higher rank and in exchange they fought for the\m.
Feudalism
Built in the Andes Mountains in Peru, it is an Incan fortress built in the 15th century and later abandoned.
Machu Picchu
The longest continental mountain range in the world that is on the west edge of South America.
Andes
An ancient device made by the Inca used for recording information. It used colored threads knotted in different ways.
Quipu
A person who was forced to work on a plot of land.
Serf
A series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims that started to secure control of holy sites. Occurred between 1096-1291.
Crusades
A staple crop in Mesoamerica. It was domesticated in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. It is also known as corn in North America.
Maize
A ranking system that organizes society
Social Hierarchy
A stone or wooden slab that had carved or painted text, decorations, or both.
Stelae
Caliph
Someone who swore loyalty and service to a superior lord
Vassal
The belief in more than one god.
Polytheism
The area from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua where the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations lived.
Mesoamerica
The highest official in some Muslim countries during the middle ages
Vizier
A piece of land that was granted to a vassal for services provided to a lord
Fief
A medieval soldier who had a high military status after training as a paige and squire.
Knight
An ancient book that is also called a "book of laws"
Codex
A member of a civilization from the Yucatan Peninsula. It was known for its math and calendar systems, hieroglyphic writing and art.
Maya
The upper class in Europe in the Middle Ages that had political and economic power.
Noble (baron/duke/count)
A farmer who lived in the middle ages and paid rent, tax, and fees to a landlord.
Peasant
A piece of land granted by a king to a lord during the middle ages
Manor