The Americas on the Eve of Invasion
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| 315376569 | Indian | Misnomer created by Columbus when referring to indigenous American peoples;still used to described Native Americans | 0 | |
| 315376570 | Toltecs | Nomadic peoples from beyond the northern frontier of sedentary agriculture in Mesoamerica | 1 | |
| 315376571 | Aztecs | The Mexica; one of the nomadic tribes that penetrated into the sedentary zone of the Mesoamerican plateau after the fall of the Toltecs;established empire after 1325 around shores of Lake Texcoco | 2 | |
| 315376572 | Tenochtitlan | Founded circa 1325 on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco; became center of Aztec power | 3 | |
| 315376573 | Pipiltin | Nobility in Aztec society | 4 | |
| 315376574 | Tlacaelel | Advisor to Aztec rulers (1425-1480); had histories of Mexico rewritten;expanded cult of human sacrifice as an effective means of political terror | 5 | |
| 315376575 | Huitzilopochtili | Aztec tribal patron god; central figure of human sacrifice and warfare; identified with old sun god | 6 | |
| 315376576 | Calpulli | Clans in Aztec society; evolved into residential groupings that distributed land and provided labor and warriors | 7 | |
| 315376577 | Chinampas | Beds of aquatic weeds, mud, earth placed in frames made of cane and rooted in lakes to create "floating islands"; system of irrigated agriculture used by Aztecs | 8 | |
| 315376578 | Pochteca | Merchant class in Aztec society; specialized in long-distance trade in luxury items | 9 | |
| 315376579 | Inca Socialism | An interpretation describing Inca society as a type of utopia | 10 | |
| 315376580 | Twantinsuyu | Inca word for their empire; region from Columbia to Chile and eastward into Bolivia and Argentina | 11 | |
| 315376581 | Inca | Group of clans (allyu) centered at Cuzco | 12 | |
| 315376582 | Pachacuti | Inca ruler (1438-1471); began the military campaigns that marked the creation of the Inca Empire | 13 | |
| 315376583 | Topac Yupanqui | Inca ruler (1471-1493); extended his fathers' conquests; seized the northern coastal kingdom of Chimor and pushed into Equador | 14 | |
| 315376584 | Huayna Capac | Inca ruler (1493-1527); brought the empire to its greatest extent | 15 | |
| 315376585 | Split Inheritance | Inca practice of ruler descent | 16 | |
| 315376586 | Temple of the Sun | Inca religious center at Cuzco; center of state religion; held mummies of past Incas | 17 | |
| 315376587 | Curacas | Local rulers who the Inca left in office in return for loyalty | 18 | |
| 315376588 | Tambos | Way stations used by Incas as inns and storehouses; supply centers for Inca armies; relay points for system of runners used to carry messages | 19 | |
| 315376589 | Mita | Labor extracted for lands assigned to the states and the religion; all communities were expected to contribute | 20 | |
| 315376590 | Quipu | System of knotted strings used by the Incas in place of writing | 21 |
