Unit 4

3. A Spanish explorer who defeated the Aztec Empire in Mexico in 1521 and claimed the land for Spain.
4. The earliest known major civilization in Mexico, often called the "mother culture" of later Mesoamerican societies.
8. A system where conquered peoples pay goods or money to the empire’s rulers.
11. The largest empire in pre-Columbian America, located in the Andes mountains of South America.
13. A small independent state consisting of a city and its surrounding land.

1. A Spanish explorer who conquered the Inca Empire in South America in the 1530s and claimed the land for Spain.
2. Farming on stepped levels built into hillsides to grow crops.
5. A device that shows direction by using Earth's magnetic field.
6. Floating gardens built by the Aztecs to increase farmland on lakes.
7. A powerful empire in central Mexico famous for its large capital city Tenochtitlan and warrior culture.
9. An ancient tool used by sailors to determine their latitude by the stars.
10. A recording system using knotted strings used by the Incas to keep information.
12. An ancient civilization known for its writing, calendar, and pyramids, located in present-day Mexico and Central America.