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Aztec and Mayans
Term | Definition |
---|---|
chinampas | floating gardens used as a method of farming |
Cochineal | a beetle that is used to make a red dye |
conquistador | the Spanish word for “conqueror” |
Hernan Cortez | the leader of the Spanish expedition that encountered the Aztec civilization |
hieroglyphs | the written language that uses pictures instead of words |
Mesoamerica | a region of Mexico and Central America where ancient civilizations lived before Europeans arrived in America |
Moctezuma II | the leader of the Aztecs when the Spanish arrived |
polytheism | the belief in many gods |
Quetzalcoatl | an Aztec god of creation |
terraces | a method of farming in which flat areas of land are cut into the sides of hillsides |
Tenochtitlan | Aztec civilization’s capital city |
slash-and-burn | a method of farming used by the Mayans in order to kill trees in the jungle so they could make farmland |
smallpox | a disease brought to America by the Europeans that killed many natives |
Texcoco | name of the lake where the Aztec built their capital city |
tribute | payment made to a government or ruler |
Yucatan | name of the peninsula in Central America where the Mayans lived |