Download Chapter 1 Early History of the Americas Study Guide

Name _______________________________
Date ________________________
Chapter 1 Early History of the Americas Study Guide
Vocabulary: You will need to be able to match the following vocabulary with its
definition. Use your composition book and quizlet to help you study.
causeway
Francisco Pizarro
Atahualpa
rebel
conquistadors
Quetzalcoatl
chinampas
maize
Hernan Cortes
Moctezuma II
Cuzco
Facts to Know
1) The Maya developed two calendars – one for farming and one for religious events.
2) The Aztecs sacrificed thousands of people a year.
3) The majority of the Maya population was in the lower class.
4) When the conquistadors arrived the Aztecs believed that Hernan Cortes was one of their gods. They
were cautious but welcomed the Spanish and gave then gifts.
5) The Inca Empire began in what is now Peru.
6) Maya in the highlands traded obsidian and jade for forest goods and cotton from the lowlands.
7) The Aztecs built their capital city on an island in central Mexico.
8) In the mid-1400s, a ruler named Pachacuti began to expand Inca territory.
9) The Incas were known for their expert masonry, or stonework.
10) An achievement of the Incas was their stonecutting for buildings was so precise that no cement was
needed.
11) The Inca road system was important because the roads connected all parts of the empire.
12) Soon before the Spaniards arrived a civil war took place and this led to the fall of the Inca Empire.
13) Other people in the region made alliances with Cortes because they did not like the harsh rule of the
Aztec.
14) Trusted nobles were tax collectors and judges for the Aztec emperors.
15) A tribute was a payment to a more powerful ruler or country.
16) War, tribute, and trade were key factors in the rise of the Aztec Empire.
17) The best way to describe the Maya society is that the lower class provided food and labor and the upper
class led religious ceremonies.
18) In the popular Maya ball game, players tried to get a ball through a stone ring without using their hands
or feet.
19) Maya cities in the Classic Age included large stone pyramids and temples.
20) The best prediction of what might have happened if Maya cities had stopped warring with one another is
that the Maya civilization might not have collapsed in the 900s.
Essay Questions: Use your notes to help you practice answering these essay questions.
1) What four factors lead to the fall of the Aztec Empire?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2) Compare and Contrast the Maya, Aztec and Inca.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3) How did the Incas preserve their history before they stared using a written language?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________