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Latin America Civ.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mesoamerica | The northern part of Central America, which includes the central and southern parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador |
| Olmec | Civilization known as the "mother culture" and for the huge carved stone heads they made. |
| Pictographs | The pictures ancient cultures drew to represent ideas or numbers |
| Hieroglyphics | System of writing based on pictures, symbols and sounds |
| Scribe | A person hired to be a writer for some of the ancient cultures |
| Tribute | A form of taxation that the Aztecs used |
| Conquistadors | Spanish conquerors |
| Tenochtitlan | Aztec capital city (present day Mexico City) |
| Montezuma | Famous Aztec emperor |
| Cortes | Spanish Conquistador who destroyed Aztec empire |
| Smallpox | Disease/epidemic that infected lots of Aztecs |
| Codice | books where historical written records were kept |
| Maya | Developed east of the Olmec civilization in tropical jungles in the Yucatan, Guatemala, and western Honduras |
| Pyramids | Large ceremonial centers with palaces used as temples |
| Aztec | Settled near Lake Texcoco and what is known as present day Mexico. |
| Inca | The largest ancient civilization of this time period and located on the west coast of South America along the Andes |
| Quechua | Spoken language of the Inca |
| Pizarro | Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incas |
| Cuzco | Capital of the Inca Civilization |
| Maize | Another word for corn. A crop the Olmecs first discovered how to grow. |