Unit 1: Mesoamerica Vocab

Region extending across southern Mexico and most of Central America that was home of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Mayans, and Aztecs

• Obsidian

• Mesoamerica

• Tenochtitlan

• Quipu

Corn originally grown in Mesoamerica

• Andes Mountains

• Zapotec

• Observatory

• Maize

Early group that lived near the Gulf of Mexico and was known for trading and big head sculptures

• Olmec

• Pacal

• Codex

• Obsidian

Farming technique where you cut down plants and burn them to fertilize the land

• Moctezuma

• Conquistadors

• Slash-and-burn agriculture

• Machu Picchu

Group that may have developed the 1st writing system

• Aztec

• Popol Vuh

• Inca

• Zapotec

Group known for architecture, food, and 365-day calendar

• Maya

• Terraces

• Quechua

• Mit'a System

black and sharp volcanic rock traded by the Mayan

• Olmec

• Obsidian

• Mesoamerica

• Zapotec

land lived on by the Mayans, located in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize

• Maize

• Andes Mountains

• Yucatan Peninsula

• Machu Picchu

building designed to study the sky and outer space

• Observatory

• Chichen Itza

• Pachacuti

• Quipu

Mayan King

• Chavin

• Huizilopochtli

• Pacal

• Zapotec