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- 3. A method of farming that involves cutting flat steps (terraces) into hillsides or mountains to cultivate crops, used by the Inca and Maya to adapt to uneven terrain, manage water, and prevent soil erosion.
- 8. The largest empire in pre-Columbian America, located in the Andes mountains of South America, which flourished between 1400 and 1533 A.D.. Centered in Cusco, they were highly organized engineers who controlled a vast territory without money or markets.
- 9. The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco. It was one of the most populated cities in the world at the time and is the site of modern Mexico City.
- 11. A major mountain range running along the western coast of South America, forming the heartland of the Incan Empire. This mountainous terrain dictated the development of specialized agricultural and engineering techniques.
- 12. A system of knotted, colored strings used by the Incas for record-keeping, accounting, and potentially narrative, as they lacked a formal written language.
- 13. A narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger landmasses. In the context of the Americas, this refers to Central America, connecting Mexico to South America and serving as a corridor for cultural exchange.
- 14. The traditional, indigenous spirituality of Japan, centered on the belief in kami—spirits or deities present in nature, objects, and ancestors. It focuses on ritual purity and harmony with the natural world.
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- 1. A traditional Japanese gate, usually found at the entrance to a Shinto shrine. It acts as a symbolic boundary separating the sacred space of the shrine from the profane outer world.
- 2. A tiered, tower-like structure with multiple eaves, commonly found in Japanese Buddhist temple compounds. Derived from Indian stupas, Japanese pagodas are typically constructed of wood.
- 4. A powerful Nahuatl-speaking civilization that ruled a massive empire in central Mexico from approximately 1325 to 1521 A.D.. Known for their capital city Tenochtitlan, advanced agriculture, and hierarchical society.
- 5. A Mesoamerican civilization known for its sophisticated writing system, art, architecture, mathematics, and astronomy. Thriving from roughly 2000 B.C. to 1697 A.D., they built city-states in modern-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.
- 6. (Cusco) The historical capital city of the Incan Empire, located in modern-day southeastern Peru. It served as the religious and administrative center of the Andean world.
- 7. Known as "floating gardens," these were artificial islands created by the Aztecs in the shallow lakes of the Valley of Mexico to produce highly productive farmland.
- 10. The belief system that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls or spiritual essences. It is a foundational worldview among many indigenous peoples, attributing agency to animals, plants, rocks, and rivers.