| Terms |
meaning or relating to terms |
| Tenochtitlan | Aztec metropolis covering more than five square miles near modern Mexico City. Origianlly located on two small islands in Lake Texcoco, it gradually grew;One of two Aztec capital's, its
NAME MEANING-- Stone rising in the water |
| Hernan Cortez | Spanish soldier who conquered the Aztecs. Landed in Mexico in 1519 in search of treasure. |
| Malinche/ Dona Marina | Daughter of Mayan leader. Malinche was called Dona Marina by Cortes. She spoke several languages in addition to Mayan. She quickly became Cortes's main translator. She also kept an eye on Aztec spies. |
| pok-atok | Game played by ancient Mayas. They had to hit a five-pound, six inch rubber ball through a stone hoop mounted 30ft. above ground |
| hieroglyphics | A system of writing using signs and symbols, used by the Maya and other cultures. |
| maize | Both the plant and the kernal of the corn. Maize and corn were Mayan famers most important crop. |
| hornless deer | Aztecs had never seen horses before, so they beleived horses were hornless deer |
| Moctezuma's spies | Moctezuma was an Aztec ruler; he sent his spies to find out about a strange ship. The spies told Moctezuma that the spanish were coming. |
| Quetzalcoatle | According to the aztec legend, quetzalcoatle promised to return to rule the Aztecs. Moctezuma thought Cortes might be the god Quetzalcoatle |
| Inti | The sun God, worshiped by the Incas. They believed Inti was their parent. Incas refered to themselves as children of the sun. |
| quipu | a knotted string used by incan goverment officails and traders for record keeping |
| Aqueduct | A pipe or channel used to carrywater from a distant source to dry areas. |
| Mestizo | A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. |
| People of the sun | Incas (The sun God, Inti was an important God) |
| Pachacuti | 1438, became ruler of the Incas. His name means he who shakes the earth. He conquered people who lived near the Pacific Ocean and he demanded loyalty from the people he conquered. If the people were disloyal he forced them off their land. |
| Mayan disappearance | About 900 A.D Mayans suddenly left their cities. Could be do to crop faliure, war disease, drought, or famine may have killed them. Or the people rebelled against the control of the priests and nobles.. |
| Aztec Medicine | Was used to lower fevers cure stomaches, and heal wounds. Aztec doctors made more than 1,000 medicines from plants. |
| Incans clothing articles | Poncho's as well as other brightly woven colored complex pattern styles. |
| Incas spreading their news | Runners were spread along mountains roads. The 1st. runner would relay messages. Incas used this runners to spread news from one place in their empire to another. Incas carried news at a rate of 250 miles a day. |
