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Stearns: Chapter 12: Americas on the Eve of Invasion Flashcards

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11479611707IndianMisnomer created by Columbus when referring to indigenous American peoples; implies social and ethnic commonalty that did not exist among Native Americans; still used to describe Native Americans.0
11479611708Toltec cultureNomadic peoples from beyond the northern frontier of sedentary agriculture in Mesoamerica; established capital at Tula after migration into central Mesoamerican plateau; strongly militaristic ethic, including cult of human sacrifice.1
11479611709TopiltzinReligious leader and reformer of the Toltecs in 10th century; dedicated to god Quetzalcoatl; after losing struggle for power, went into exile in the Yucatan peninsula.2
11479611710QuetzalcoatlToltec deity; Feathered Serpent; adopted by Aztecs as a major god.3
11479611711TenochtitlanFounded circa 1325 on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco; became center of Aztec power.4
11479611712TlalocMajor god of Aztecs; associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle; god of rain.5
11479611713HuitzilopochtliAztec tribal patron god; central figure of human sacrifice and warfare; identified with old sun god.6
11479611714NezhualcoyotlLeading Aztec king of the 15th century.7
11479611715ChinampasBeds of aquatic weeds, mud, and earth placed in frames made of cane and rooted in lakes to create "floating islands"; system of irrigated agriculture used by Aztecs.8
11479611716PochtecaMerchant class in Aztec society; specialized in long-distance trade in luxury items.9
11479611717CalpulliClans in Aztec society; evolved into residential groupings that distributed land and provided labor and warriors.10
11479611718PachacutiInca ruler (1438-1471); began the military campaigns that marked the creation of the Inca Empire11
11479611719AyllusHouseholds in Andean societies that recognized some form of kinship; traced descent from some common, sometimes mythical ancestor.12
11479611720TwantinsuyuInca word for their empire; region from Colombia to Chile and eastward into Bolivia and Argentina.13
11479611721Split inheritanceInca practice of ruler descent; all titles and political power went to the successor, but wealth and land remained in the hands of male descendants for support of dead Inca's mummy.14
11479611722Temple of the SunInca religious center at Cuzco; center of state religion; held mummies of past Incas.15
11479611723TambosWay stations used by Incas as inns and storehouses; supply centers for Inca armies; relay points for system of runners used to carry messages.16
11479611724MitaLabor extracted for lands assigned to the state and the religion; all communities were expected to contribute; an essential part of Inca control.17
11479611725Inca socialismAn interpretation describing Inca society as a type of utopia; image of the Inca Empire as a carefully organized system in which every community collectively contributed to the whole.18
11479611726YanasIncan class of people who were removed from their ayllus and served permanently as servants, artisans, or workers for the Inca or nobility.19
11479772073QuipuSystem of knotted strings utilized by the Incas in place of a writing system; could contain numerical and other types of information for censuses and financial records20
11479872546Virachocathe primary Inca god.21
11479873542Topac YupanquiPachacuti's son and successor from 1471 to 1493; conquered northern coastal kingdom of Chimor by seizing it's irrigation system; extended Inca control into the southern area of what is now Ecuador.22
11479886727Moctezuma II(1466-1520) Aztec ruler from 1502 to 1520; he was the emperor of the Aztecs when Cortés and his army conquered the empire. He was taken prisoner and killed during battle with the Spanish army.23
11479899597Huacasholy shrines; mountains, stones, caves, rivers, tombs, temples, etc; places of worship and prayer24
11479906761Tiahuanaco and HuariTwo large cities found on Lake Titicaca which were part of the Moche culture (200 - 700 C.E.).25
11479922154Chichen Itzaan ancient Mayan city located on the Yucatan Peninsula26

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