AP World History: The Americas Flashcards

5740789951	Origins of the Early Americas	1. Migration from Asia by the Beringia land bridge 2.Journey from Asia to rhe Pacific Coast by small boats 3. Louis Leakey: First Humans may have arrived 100,000 years ago (Calico Hills, CA)	0
5740789952	The Precursors	1. Olmecs 2. Zapotecs 3. Toltecs	1
5740789953	The Big Three	1. Maya 2. Aztecs 3. Inca	2
5740789954	Locations of the Maya	located in modern-day Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico	3
5740789955	Location of the Aztec	modern-day Mexico City	4
5740789956	The Olmecs (1200 BCE - 400 BCE)	-based in Meso-America (central Mexico to N. Honduras) -inhospitable climate -hunted, fished, grew corn, beans, traded jade, crops -Ceremonial centers: La Venta, Tres Zapotes, San Lorenzo -Pyramids, monumental sculptures (jaguar motif) -hieroglyphics, not deciphered, & no written records.	5
5740789957	Mysterious Decline of the Olmecs	-Ceremonial centers are destroyed -No evidence of warfare -Revolution? Civil War?	6
5740789958	Mayan Civilization (300 BCE - 900 CE)	-Large cities discovered in the 19th century -Decentralized political structure (city-states) led by god-kings (Pacal, etc.) -Areas was rich in game and building materials (limestone and hardwood), obsidian. -Cacao beans ---hot chocolate drink ---used as currency -Major ceremonial centered at Tikal, Copan, and Palenque -no metal; water supply was uncertain; communication was difficult.	7
5740789959	Mayan Warfare	-Purpose of warfare? To take territory and capture enemy soldiers -Ritual sacrifices of enemies -City-states and small kingdoms engage in constant conflict !!!The Maya conducted warfare and human sacrifices on a smaller scale than the Aztecs)	8
5740789960	Mayan Mathematics and their Ritual Calendar	1. Complex Math ---invention of the "zero" concept ---base 20 system 2. Solar Calendar (17 seconds off of the calendar we use) ---eighteen 20-day months with a separate period of 5 days at end 3. Management of the calendar lends authority to ~priesthood~ ---Need to choose auspicious moments for planting crops, attacking enemies, installing new rulers !!!!!The Mayan calendar is based on careful observations of the planets, sun, and moon.!!!!!	9
5740789961	Mayan Language and Religion	-Hieroglyphic symbols -bark paper books were destroyed by Spanish conquerors, only 3 survived -Popol Vuh: Mayan creation myth -Itzamna: Lizard House (the supreme god) -Bloodletting rituals: removal of fingers, piercing to allow blood flow; self-mutilztion was also used by kings.	10
5740789962	The Mayan Ball Game (Pok-a-tok)	-sacred ritual -high-ranking captives, prisoners of war were contestants -execution of losers immediately after the match -human sacrifices to please the gods	11
5740789963	Post-Classic Mayan Civilization	- Centered on the Yucatan peninsula (9th-12th centuries CE) - Farming is difficult (soil is thin) but water is available from cenotes (sinkholes created by the collapse of underground caverns) - Heavily influenced by the Toltecs of Central Mexico (caused mostly by waves of immigrants from Tula) - Kukulcan ("feathered serpent") - Toltec leader in Chichen Itza - Violent, warlike - Had human sacrifice (see Chac Mool) - Main centers: Chichen Itza and Uxmal	12
5740789964	Theories of the end of the Mayan Civilization	1. Increased warfare among Mayan city-states disrupted trade and caused population to flee to the jungle 2. Agricultural production could not keep up with population growth; therefore people moved away from urban centers 3. Ecological damage from over- farming, etc.? 4. Famine and disease?	13
5740789965	Teohuacan Culture (100 - 700 CE)	- Produced great architectural structures in the highlands of Mexico - Lakes in area of high elevation - Village of Teotihuacan, expands to become America's first metropolis (200,000 inhabitants by 500 C.E.) and important ceremonial center (see Teotihuacan "Street of the Dead") - Creation of chinampas - swampy islands enlarged to become floating gardens - Extensive trade network, influence on surrounding areas - It begins to decline ca 650 C.E.; is sacked in the middle of the 8th century, and its massive library is destroyed	14
5740789966	The Aztecs	-Poor nomadic people who left desert in northern Mexico and emigrated to crowded Valley of Mexico ca 1000 C.E. -Shunned by other peoples because of their practice of human sacrifice -Gained wealth and power by serving as mercenaries -established city of Tenochtitlan on an island ca 1350 C.E. and enlarged it by dredging part of Lake Texcoco (a large salt lake surrounded by freshwater lakes); city connected by causeways -population: +500,000 -Hieroglyphs but no written literature	15
5740789967	Aztec Politics	- Monarch - Confederation of localities - Tribute (gold, maize, cacao beans, cotton, jade, slaves) - Calpulli = kinship groups	16
5740789968	Aztec Religion	- Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl - Ometeotl = guiding deity - Art and sculpture: see e.g., the Disc of the Fifth Sun (its image is to the left) Destruction: Hernan Cortes and Spaniards defeat Emperor Montezuma II and the Aztecs in 1521 with help from Tlaxcallan	17
5740789969	Andean Societies	- Migration into South America ca 12,000 B.C.E. - Climate improves ca 8,000 B.C.E. - Largely independent from Mesoamerica - Highly individualized due to geography - Remarkable cities, towns despite jungle, mountains (see e.g. Machu Picchu) - Chavin, Moche, Chimu, Huari, Inca	18
5740789970	Chavin Culture 900 - 200 B.C.E.	-Primarily a religious civilization which develops in the central Andes (Peru) -Little is known about the particulars of the religion -Intricate stone mounds/ carvings/ textiles -Probably had shamans - Cf. Nazca peoples in western Peru	19
5740789971	Moche Culture	-Based in the Moche River Valley, it dominated northern Peru -Built impressive irrigation systems for farming -Beautiful jewelry, metalwork, pottery and other treasure survive (see e.g. the Lord of Sipan treasure (ca 400 C.E.); cf. the King Tut archaeological find) -One of many states in region; none of them were able to consolidate their power enough to establish an empire - May have been ended by severe flooding or desertification	20
5740789972	The Incas	- Empire lasted less than 100 years - Started by Pachakuti (r.1438-1471); grew more under Topa Inca Yupanqui (r.1471-1493) through war, diplomacy - Eventually controlled over 2,500 miles of Pacific coastline, Andes Mountains - Highly centralized state, built by forced labor (or mita) - Great road builders - No wheeled vehicles - Split inheritance, custom of worshipping mummified dead rulers - Orejones ("Big Ears") - only one of these 11 noble lineages could inherit throne - Inti = the Sun god - Ayllu = kinship unit - Little private commerce or trade - An early socialist state? - Strictly regulated marriage - No written records (used quipu instead) - Quechua = language - Last emperor, Athahualpa, defeated by Pizarro in 1532 - Incas devastated by civil war, exposure to European disease	21