Mesoamerican and South American Civilizations Unit 3 Click to Advance through Presentation
Aqueduct Structures used to carry flowing water from a distance
Theocracy A system of government in which the rulers are believed to represent the will of the gods
Chichen Itza An ancient Mayan city located on the Yucatan Peninsula
codex A folding-screen book containing information about predicting the future and religious rituals
Mercenary A hired soldier
Causeway raised bridges made of land
Man Made Island
Tenochtitlan The capital city of the Aztecs
Lake Texcoco The Lake on which the Mexica settled
an arm of land that sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico
Central Plateau a high, flat area in the center of the Plateau of Mexico
Natural wells on the Yucatan Peninsula
Sierra Madre occidental A mountain range to the west of the Plateau of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico A part of the Atlantic Ocean east of Mexico
A high, flat area in central Mexico
Peninsula Land that is nearly surrounded by water
Hernando Cortes Spanish Conquistador Who defeated the Aztecs in 1521
Tikal Tikal: A city-state of the Maya that is now an important ruin
Alliance An agreement made between two or more groups or nations
AnareaofMesoamerica
Sierra Madre Oriental A mountain range to the east of the Plateau of Mexico
Aregion that extends from southern North America to the central part of Central America
Moctezuma I Aztec ruler of the Aztec empire who increased its size and wealth
Moctezuma II Aztec emperor who was the last to reign the Aztec empire before it fell to Spain
Quetzalcoatl One of the gods that the Aztec people worshipped. This name means “feathered serpent.”
Stele An upright stone or slab with an inscribed or sculptured surface, used as a monument or as a commemorative tablet in the face of a building
Machu Picchu A city built by the Inca people on a mountain top in the Andes Mountains in present day Peru
cuzco The capital of the Inca empire
Manco Capac 1200 founder of the Inca dynasty who led the Inca to settle in Cazco
Inca Viracocha 1435 Incan ruler who fled his empire in 1438 because he thought it would be defeated by the Chancas
Pachacuti Incan emperor and son of Inca Viracocha who defeated the Chancas and extended his empire.
Topa Inca 1471 Inca ruler and son of Pachacuti who doubled the size of the empire
Francisco Pizarro Spanish conquistador who defeated the Incas
Quipu A knotted rope used by the Incas to keep records
Andes Mountains the world’s longest the world’s longest mountain range Located in western South America and it is home home of the Incas