Maya civilization
What was the Maya political structure before 1200?
A decentralized collection of city-states often at war with one another.
What people founded the Aztec Empire?
The Mexica people, who began as semi-nomadic.
What allowed the Inca to expand their empire?
Military strength and strategic conquest.
Where did the Mississippian Culture develop?
The Mississippi River Valley
What two societies developed in the southwestern U.S.?
The Chaco and Mesa Verde societies
What was a key feature of Maya warfare?
They fought to create a tributary network and emphasized human sacrifice.
How did the Aztecs manage conquered territories?
They created tributary states that provided goods and people for sacrifice.
How did the Inca political structure differ from the Aztecs and Maya?
The Inca had a centralized empire with a complex bureaucracy
What was the structure of Mississippian politics?
Hierarchical, with powerful chiefs ruling towns and surrounding areas.
What limited their agricultural development?
Arid environment and scarce water sources
What did the Maya develop to manage their complex society?
A complex system of writing and advanced urban centers.
What city was the center of the Aztec Empire?
Tenochtitlan
What was the Mit’a system?
A labor tax requiring citizens to work on state projects for part of the year.
What was the largest Mississippian urban center?
Cahokia.
How did they adapt to environmental challenges?
By building reservoirs, wells, and using advanced irrigation
Why was the Maya civilization not considered an empire?
It lacked a centralized government and instead had competing city-states.
What agricultural innovation did the Aztecs use?
Chinampas – floating gardens for farming on lakes.
Name one way the Inca maintained control over their vast territory.
Through roads, recordkeeping (quipus), and local administrators.
What purpose did Mississippian mounds serve?
Burial sites and religious centers.
What building techniques were used by these societies?
Sandstone-carved dwellings and cliff-side structures.
How did Maya religion influence their political and military practices?
Religion demanded frequent human sacrifice, which encouraged warfare and capturing prisoners from rival city-states.
How did tribute and sacrifice sustain Aztec political power?
Tribute provided resources for the empire, while sacrifice reinforced the power of the elite and religious control over the population.
How did geography influence Inca state-building?
The mountainous terrain required extensive infrastructure like roads and terracing, promoting centralized control and state organization.
How did Mississippian society demonstrate complexity without written records?
Through urban planning, trade networks, religious practices, and social hierarchies evident in mound structures and artifact distribution
What does their architecture reveal about their society?
High-level social organization and engineering skills despite harsh climates and lack of centralized empires