Mayans, Aztec, and Incas Vocab

Yucatan Peninsula

• The last Inca king who was executed even though his ransom was paid
• contributed to mathematics by inventing the number zero, and used base 20 math
• Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in South America
• The Maya civilization was located on the

Tenochititlan

• Very accurate calendar / 18 months each with 20 days (360 days) + last five days of the year considered highly unlucklySun god in the middle - with human hearts in each hand
• The Aztec capital city that was built on an island in the middle of a lake.
• 365 days, only priests kept track of the calendar by using the motion of planets and stars; used it to predict, eclipses, schedule festivals, plant and harvest
• Ancient American tribe that carved stone heads

Moctezuma

• The famous Aztec ruler that extended the empire to 1/3 of Mexico
• regularly offered live human sacrifices—captives, slaves, women, and children—by the thousands. cut out the victims' beating hearts and offered them to the sun god to strengthen him for his fight against the darkness of the night. The victims' severed heads were displayed in the central plaza.
• each ruled by a Mayan King
• 2 calendars- 1 for day 1 for night used for religious purposes

Hernan Cortez

• Man made floating gardens that were used to grow crops. (Aztecs)
• Spanish conquistador that conquered the Aztecs
• A system of knots used for record keeping by the Inca
• 365 days, only priests kept track of the calendar by using the motion of planets and stars; used it to predict, eclipses, schedule festivals, plant and harvest

Andes Mountains

• a mountain chain of western South America; home of the Inca
• a farming system that is in the form of steps going up a mountain used by the Incas
• The area composing of southern Mexico and parts of northern Central America
• Ancient American tribe that carved stone heads

Cuzco

• was the Inca capital city and located in current day Peru.
• The area composing of southern Mexico and parts of northern Central America
• Spanish conquistador that conquered the Aztecs
• each ruled by a Mayan King

Machu Picchu

• The area composing of southern Mexico and parts of northern Central America
• regularly offered live human sacrifices—captives, slaves, women, and children—by the thousands. cut out the victims' beating hearts and offered them to the sun god to strengthen him for his fight against the darkness of the night. The victims' severed heads were displayed in the central plaza.
• The royal retreat built on top of a mountain in the Andes
• Indigenous American word for "corn"

Mesoamerica

• The famous Aztec ruler that extended the empire to 1/3 of Mexico
• The area composing of southern Mexico and parts of northern Central America
• 2 calendars- 1 for day 1 for night used for religious purposes
• 365 days, only priests kept track of the calendar by using the motion of planets and stars; used it to predict, eclipses, schedule festivals, plant and harvest

Aztecs

• Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in South America
• The Aztec capital city that was built on an island in the middle of a lake.
• Indigenous American word for "corn"
• Ancient civilization (1200-1521AD) that was located in what is present-day Mexico City

Incas

• 365 days, only priests kept track of the calendar by using the motion of planets and stars; used it to predict, eclipses, schedule festivals, plant and harvest
• 2 calendars- 1 for day 1 for night used for religious purposes
• Important source of food, clothing, sacrifice, and transportation for the Incas
• Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in South America