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AP World History: Ch.11 Flashcards

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7803155225TeotihuacanLocated about 30 miles northeast of modern Mexico City. It was at the height of its power in 600 CE and verging on decline. Between 125,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, it was the largest city in the Americas and larger than all but a few contemporary European and Asian cities.0
7803163210Quetzalcoatlthe feathered serpent. A culture-god believed to be the originator of agriculture and the arts.1
7803165436human sacrificeLike the earlier Olmecs, people living at Teotihuacan practiced this. Viewed as a sacred duty toward the gods and as essential to the well-being of human society.2
7803171393volcanic eruptionsThe rapid growth in urban population initially resulted from a series of...3
7803174079Chinampas"floating gardens" narrow artificial islands constructed along lakeshores or in marshes. Permitted year-round agriculture -- because of subsurface irrigation and resistance to frost -- and thus played a crucial role in sustaining the region's growing population.4
7803186842stone buildingsAs population grew, the housing of commoners changed into... which were like apartments. unique to Teotihuacan. Commonly housed members of a single kinship group, but some were used to house craftsmen working in the same trade.5
7803195293economy, religious, pilgrimsTeotihuacan's... and... influence drew...6
7803202979political, powerful individual ruler or lineageTeotihuacan achieved regional preeminence without subordinating its... life to the personality of a ...7
7803209607MayaAfter the fall of Teotihuacan around 650 CE, the... developed an impressive civilization in the region that today includes Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and southern Mexico. Used the slash-and-burn agriculture method.8
7803218735"long count" calendarThe Maya maintained a continuous..., which began at a fixed date in the past that scholars have identified as 3114 BCE a date that the Maya probably associated with creation9
7813336227ToltecsMajor postclassic states. Created the first conquest state based largely on military power, and they extended their political influence from the area north of modern Mexico City to Central America.10
7813370869TulaCapital of Toltec. Constructed in a grand style. Population never reached the levels of classic-period Teotihuacan. Dominated central Mexico.11
7814066517Topiltzinone of the two rulers of Toltecstate and a priest of the cult of Quetzalcoatl. His followers bitterly accepted exile in the east, "the land of the rising sun."12
7814102244decline, northern invadersAfter the exile of Topiltzin, the Toltec state began to... and around 1156 CE,... overcame Tula itself.13
7814106301MexicaAztecs were also known as...?14
7814171974Tenochtitlan, TlatelolcoAztecs began the construction of their twin capitals... (foundation for modern Mexico City)15
7814224960AztecMonarchial system. Kinship-based organizations that organized political life earlier. Used the tribute system.16
7814242226elaborate rituals and ceremoniesAztec kings and aristocrats legitimized their ascendancy by creating... to distinguish themselves from commoners.17
7814365409tribute systemAztecs used the... on conquered people which helped relieve some of the pressure of Tenochtitlan's growing population.18
7814384432Huitzilopotchlithe southern hummingbird. Major contribution of the Aztecs to the religious life of Mesoamerica19
7814404322Tlalocthe rain god of Tenochtitlan. Symbolizes the two bases of the Aztec economy: war and agriculture.20
7814419536HohokamOf all the southwestern cultures, the... of the Salt and Gila river valleys of southern Arizona show the strongest Mexican influence.21
7814434686Anasazi"ancient ones" a number of dispersed, though similar, desert cultures located in what is now the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Left the most vivid legacy of the desert cultures.22
7814460963Chaco CanyonIn northwestern New Mexico. Where one of the largest Anasazi communities was located. Population of approx. 15,000.23
7814473841Pueblo BonitoThe largest town in Chaco Canyon.24
7814525159chiefdomA territory that had a population as large as 10,000 was ruled by a chief, a hereditary leader with both religious and secular responsibilities.25
7814566488ChiefsOrganized periodic rituals of feasting and gift giving that established bonds among diverse kinship groups and guaranteed access to specialized crops and craft goods. They also managed long-distance trade.26
7814582902CahokiaUrban center, located near the modern city of East St. Louis, Illinois, where the Mississippi culture reached its highest stage of evolution.27
7814673369Khipu"talking knots" A system of knotted colored cords. Used to aid administration and record population counts and tribute obligations.28
7814686455Ayllu"clan" provided the foundation for Andean achievement. The members of this clan considered each other as brothers and sisters and were obligated to aid each other in tasks that required more labor than a single household could provide. (Reciprocal obligations).29
7814725511Mit'aA rotational labor draft that organized members of ayllus to work the fields and care for the llama and alpaca herds owned by religious establishments, the royal court, and the aristocracy.30
7814766045Mochedeveloped cultural and political tools that allowed them to dominate the north coastal region of Peru. Cultural in character. Did not establish a formal empire or create unified political structures.31
7814778992Chimuones who followed Moche.32
7814791563Tiwanakuhigh treeless plain near Lake Titicaca in modern Bolivia stand the ruins of... Portrayed as the capital of a vast empire, a precursor to the later Inca state.33
7814822318WariContemporary site located about 450 miles to the northwest of Tiwanaku, near the modern Peruvian city of Ayacucho. Shared elements of the culture and technology of Tiwanaku, but the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear.34
7814843665Inca, Land of Four Cornersdeveloped a vast imperial state which they called... Centered in the valley of Cuzco. Initially organized as a chiefdom based on reciprocal gift giving and the redistribution of food and textiles.35
7814862094"The Lord is my Shepherd"Belief that the gods and their ruler shared the obligations of the shepherd to his flock. Believed by the Incas36
7814877564Cuzcothe imperial capital, and the provincial cities, the royal court, the imperial armies, and the state's religious cults of...37
7817782803waru waruAn agricultural technique developed by pre-Hispanic peoples in the Andes region of South America, from Colombia to Bolivia. Combines raised beds with irrigation channels to prevent damage by soil erosion during floods. The technique ensures both collecting of water and subsequent drainage.38
7817837983Moctezuma II9th leader of Tenochtitlan ruled over Aztec's economic and political center. Considered ruler of the alliance system.39

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