sinkholes

provided fresh water to the Maya through an underground river system

quipu

a rope with knotted cords that served as a calculator

Olmec

developed a trading empire that flourished between 1200 B.C. and 400 B.C.

Hernan

Cortez

a spanish soldier responsible for defeating the Azetec

Christopher Columbus

landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492.

Francisco Pizarro

a Spanish soldier responsible for defeating the Inca 

Myan city-states

held the sole right to trade in obsidian.

Beringia

a land bridge connecting Asia and Alaska during the Ice Age

hunter-gatherers

moved constantly in search of food

Toltec

located in the dense forests of the Peten

Malintzin

the woman who helped

Cortez defeat the

Aztec

conquistadors

soldier-explorers sent to the Americas by Spain

Moche

dug canals to carry water from the Andes to desert farms

Hispaniola

island claimed for Spain

by

Chistopher Columbus 

Mesoamerica

land from

Valley of Mexico

to Costa Rica

Tenochtitlan

a great Aztec city

Jasaw Chan K'awiil I

strong Mayan ruler

Montezuma

rulked the Aztec

at the time of

their defeat by

Cortes

Maya

civilization that came to

a mysterious end

by the A.D. 900's

Pachacuti

built an estate

for himself called

Machu Picchu

How did the Mayan civilization end?

No one knows.

  It's a mystery

What did the

Mayan religion

 lead to?

1. a strict class system

2. human sacrifice

3. the building of

huge pyramids

The Moche people

prospered because

They irrigated their crops.

be obedient and respectful to the gods.

The Inca and the Aztec both had to...

create new farmland to feed their people.

the gods would be worshipped.

The Inca leader

Pachacuti...

built a huge,

 ancient empire

Where is the Beringia

land bridge today?

The land is covered

by water

from the glacial melt

 at the end of

the Ice Age.

Why did the maya choose to settle in the Peten?

The Peten

had a

good water supply. 

How did ancient

 Asian hunters reach

  North America

without boats?

By walking east

across the

Beringia

land bridge. 

How were Spanish

 explorers able to

defeat the Aztec?

They used guns,

horses, and

an epidemic.

The Beringia

land bridge

 used to connect...

Asia and

North America

Why did Montezuma

not attack the

invading Spaniards right away?

Montezuma thought

Cortez was

a god.

Where did most

of the

 Spanish conquistadors

come from?

Most

Spanish conquistadors

came from

the Extremadura.

How did prehistoric

 people get to America

from Asia

Prehistoric people

walked across the

 Beringia land bridge from Asia to America.

What had to happen

before people in America

could begin farming?

1. The Ice age had to end.

2. The climate had to warm.

3. They had to discover planting seeds resulted in edible crops.

How did

Portugese explorers

differ from

Spanish explorers? 

Portugese explorers concentrated on the coast of Africa while Spanish explorers focused on the New World and East Asia.

How do scientists believe people crossed from

Asia to North America?

Ancient people used a land bridge to cross from

Asia to North America.

According to their legend, the Aztec would establish

a city where...

the eagle screeches

and kills a snake.

Why did the Mayans seek captives in war?

Mayans used captives to

offer as human sacrifice and to work in the fields.

What did the

Aztecs do with theri enemies?

Aztecs took their enimies prisoner.

What happened as a result of the warming weather at the end of the

Ice Age?

The food supplies of

 hunter-gathers

was reduced.

What did the Aztec need to do before they could establish

Tenochititlan?

Before establishing

Tenochtitlan the

Aztecs had to

conqueror their enemies.

What civilization

 was first to appear

in the Americas? 

the Olmec

Why did prehistoric people move southward

through the Americas?

Prehistoric people moved southward through the Americas searching for warmer weather.

What was the primary purpose for the conquistadors to come

 to America?

Conquistadors came to

  the Americas

to search for riches.

How did the

earliest prehistoric people survive in

the Americas? 

The earliest prehistoric people in the Americas were hunters and gatherers.

How was social class

organized in the 

Aztec Empire?

Social classes in the Aztec Empire:

1. was inheritied;

2. could change with an act of bravery in war

How were the farming techniques of the Inca and the Aztecs similar?

Both the Aztecs

 and the Incas used irragation and fetilizers in farming.

In what year did

Christpher Columbus

 land in the Americas?

Always remember:

"In 1492,

Columbus sailed

the ocean blue."  

How did Pizarro

conquer the Inca?

Pizarro conquered

the Inca by

capturing Atahualpa.

Who was

 Hernan Cortez?

Hernan Cortez

is the man credited

for conquering

the Aztec.