Key Terms

1
Key Terms MesoAmerican Cultures/West African
Kingdoms

• Olmecs
• Mayas
• Raised Field Farming
• Aztecs
• Tenochtitlan
• Chinampas
• Incas
• Cuzco
• Terrace Farming

• Relay Running
• Ghana
• Mali
• Mansa Musa
• Timbuktu
• Songhai
• Askia Muhammad

2
Olmecs

• Flourished from 1200 400 B.C.
• Located on the Eastern edges of Mexico near
  Veracruz
• Lived near marshy areas, adapted similar to
  Mesopotamians
• Society was rigidly structured with priest-kings
  ruling a ruling elite of warriors, administrators
  and engineers, and a lower class of farmers and
  artisans

• Built three major centers.
• Declined slowly from 900 B.C. forward.
• Contributed
• A writing system
• Used mirrors for art and fire
• Massive sculptures
• Heavy reliance on religion in state rule

3
Mayas

• Lasted from roughly 600 B.C. - 1500 A.D.
• Began in Guatemala but later moved to Belize,
  Honduras and the Yucatan.
• Had an animistic religious system similar to that
  of the Olmecs.
• Used raised field farming to provide areas for
  drainage from the massive rains that swept
  through the region

• Were known to have traded with other cultures.
• Built massive religions and political centers in
  Tikal and Copan massive flat-top pyramids
  signaled the major cities.
• Declined with civil war and then the slow
  conquest by the Spaniards in the 1500's.
• Contributed
• Concept of zero
• 365 day calendar
• Massive pyramid temples

4
Aztecs

• Flourished from 1200 1522
• Located in Southern Mexico centered around
  Tenochtitlan, their capital city.
• Established tributary states throughout Mexico
• Were also animistic but had chief gods including
  Quezalcoatl.
• Believed in human sacrifice to please their gods,
  hence they engaged in many wars to acquire
  sacrifices.

• Society was broken into four classes nobles,
  commoners, serfs and slaves. Emperor held
  complete control of the empire.
• Created floating islands used for farming known
  as chinampas.
• The arrival of the Cortes' in Mexico led to the
  conquest of the Aztecs.
• Contributions
• Chinampas
• Massive city structures, bridge and causeway
  building.

5
Incas

• Flourished from roughly 1200 1572.
• Located in Western South America, mostly Ecuador,
  Peru, and Chile.
• Society was broken down to the smallest units to
  ensure complete control
• Used relay runners to send messages between
  areas.
• Constructed roads to connect all of the major
  areas.

• Created a capital city known as Cuzco.
• Used terrace farming ? areas cut out of sections
  of mountains and kept in place by stone frames.
• Contributions
• Road and bridge building
• Record keeping through quipus
• Terracing
• Medicinal advances such as quinine

6
Ghana

• Flourished from 300-1076.
• Would not gain the riches of the territory until
  the 10th Century with the conquest of Audagost.
• Traded with the Muslims extensively.
• Were extremely rich in gold and would use it to
  trade for salt with the Muslims

• Would construct the capital city of Kumbi-Saleh.
• Would be slowly conquered by the Almoravids and
  ultimately Mali.
• The establishment of this empire proved that
  control of the gold and salt trade routes in
  Africa provided large amounts of wealth for the
  conquering group.

7
Mali

• Flourished from 1235-1460's
• Conquered the Ghanian territories under the rule
  of Sundiata and merged them with the territories
  of Mali in the North.
• Became the richest African kingdom
• Would gain great notoriety under Mansa Musa
• Converted to Islam
• Made a pilgrimage to Mecca
• Brought back many scholars, artists and engineers

• Constructed a learning center and capital known
  as Timbuktu.
• Mali would decline with the death of Mansa Musa
  in 1337 and would be replaced by the Songhai
  kingdom.

8
Songhai

• Flourished from the mid 1300's to 1591.
• Territories were brought together under the rule
  of Sunni Ali who captured Timbuktu.
• Askia Muhammad would create a legal system based
  on Sharia law (laws based on the Quran)

• Created another center of learning in Jenne to
  accompany Timbuktu.
• Territories would be conquered by the sultan of
  Morocco in 1591.