A usually black or banded, hard volcanic glass that displays shiny, curved surfaces when fractured and is formed by rapid cooling of lava

corn

in the Inca Empire, the requirement that all able-bodied subjects work for the state a certain number of days each year.

An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.

The Maya king of Palenque had a temple built in the city to record his achievements.

A geographic region in the western hemisphere that was home to the Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

an early Mesoamerican civilization that was centered in the Oaxaca Valley of what is now Mexico

Aztec nature god, the feathered serpent, his disappearance and promised return coincided with the arrival of Cortes

The first Mesoamerican civilization. Between ca. 1200 and 400 B.C.E., these people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization that included intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial centers, and monumental construction.

the first major South American civilization, which flourished in the highlands of what is now Peru from about 900 to 200 B.C.

A book containing a version of the Mayan story of creation.

a major center in present-day northern Guatemala that was once home to the Maya civilization.

In Incan society, a small community or family group whose members worked together for the common good of the people.

South American civilization which rose to power following the collapse of the Chavin in the Andes

the last Aztec emperor in Mexico who was overthrown and killed by Hernando Cortes (1466-1520)

a symbolic picture, especially one used as part of a writing system for carving messages in stone.

A culture that flourished along the southern coast of Peru from around 200 B.C. to A.D. 600

Inca ruler (1438-1471); began the military campaigns that marked the creation of an Inca empire.

First urban center in the Americas, built by the Zapotec