Chapter 11 Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas, 600-1500 Flashcards

40348441	Teotihuacan	A powerful city-state in central Mexico (100 B.C.E.- 750 C.E.). Its population was about 150,000 at its peak in 600.	0
40348442	chinampas	Raised fields constructed along lake shores in Mesoamerica to increase agricultural yields.	1
40348443	Maya	Mesoamerican civilization concentrated in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and in Guatemala and Honduras but never unified into a single empire. Major contributions were in mathematics, astronomy, and development of the calendar.	2
40348444	Toltecs	Powerful postclassic empire in central Mexico (900-1168 C.E.). It influenced much of Mesoamerica. Aztecs claimed ties to this earlier civilization.	3
40348445	Aztecs	Also known as Mexica, the Aztecs created a powerful empire in central Mexico (1325-1521 C.E.). They forced defeated peoples to provide goods and labor as a tax.	4
40348446	Tenochtitlan	Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 125,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.	5
40348447	tribute system	A system in which defeated peoples were forced to pay a tax in the form of goods and labor. This forced transfer of food, cloth, and other goods subsidized the development of large cities. An important component of the Aztec and Inca economies.	6
40348448	Anasazi	Important culture of what is now the southwest United States (1000-1300 C.E.). Centered on Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Mesa Verde in Colorado, the Anasazi culture built multistory residences and worshiped in subterranean buildings called kivas.	7
40348449	chiefdom	Form of political organization with rule by a hereditary leader who held power over a collection of villages and towns. Less powerful than kingdoms and empires, chiefdoms were based on gift giving and commercial links.	8
40348450	khipu	System of knotted colored cords used by preliterate Andean peoples to transmit information.	9
40348451	ayllu	Andean lineage group or kin-based community.	10
40348452	mit'a	Andean labor system based on shared obligations to help kinsmen and work on behalf of the ruler and religious organizations.	11
40348453	Moche	Civilization of north coast of Peru (200-700 C.E.). An important Andean civilization that built extensive irrigation networks as well as impressive urban centers dominated by brick temples.	12
40348454	Tiwanaku	City located in the Andean highlands. It was located at nearly 13,000 feet on the treeless plain near Lake Titicaca in modern Bolivia. Its culture was related to the culture of the Moche civilization.	13
40348455	Wari	Andean civilization culturally linked to Tiwanaku, perhaps beginning as a colony of Tiwanaku.	14
40348456	Inca	Largest and most powerful Andean Empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco.	15