| A | B |
|---|
| Rio Grande | river the cuts through the desert and forms a border between Mexico and the US |
| Andes mountains | mountains in the western portion of South America |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | main mountain range in western Mexico that runs roughly parallel to the Pacific coast |
| plateau of Mexico | huge plateau that covers most of central Mexico and is surrounded by mountains |
| Guiana highlands | highlands in the north part of S. America that separate Venezuela, Suriname, and French Guiana from Brazil |
| Lake Maracaibo | large lake in the northern tip of the South American continent with small opening into the Atlantic Ocean |
| Orinoko | river in north part of S. America that winds from the Guiana highlands to the Atlantic Ocean |
| Yucatan peninsula | large peninsula in Mexico that extends into the Gulf of Mexico; mostly rainforest |
| Amazon | river in S. America that winds from Peru through rain forest in north Brazil and empties into the Atlantic Ocean |
| Sierra Madre Oriental | main mountain range in eastern Mexidco; has Mexico's highest peak |
| Lake Titicaca | lake situated high in the Andes mountains and forms part of the border between Peru and Bolicia |
| Gran Chaco | plain that extends through northern Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Bolivia |
| Patugonia | grassy plateau in southern Argentina between the Andes and the Atlantic |
| pampas | fertile plain that covers most of central Argentina |
| Atacama Desert | desert in northern Chile; Pacific oOcean to west and Andes to east |
| Amazon Basin | vast river basin that covers most of northern Brazil and parts of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela |
| Aztec Legend of 5 suns | the world has been destroyed 4 times and created 5 times |
| Aztec agricultural revolution | domesticate animals and cultivate crops (corn, beans, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, squash) |
| Olmec art | giant head statues |
| Olmec intelligence | calendar and carved inscriptions for writing |
| Mayans | peoples living from Yucatan to Central America |
| Mayan society | ruling chief, nobles, priests, farmers |
| Mayan learning advances | hieroglyphic writing system; 365 solar day calendar; math and astronomy |
| Tenochtitlan | present day Mexico city; Aztec city |
| chinampas | artificial islands made of earth piled on reed mats that were anchored to the shallow lake bed |
| tribute | payment from conquered peoples; helped Aztecs make their city beautiful |
| Aztec government | one single ruler |
| Mayan government | many city chiefs |
| Aztec society | emperor, nobles, warriors, commoners, slaves and priests class of own |
| nighttime Aztec belief | sun god battled dark forces each night |
| Aztec personality | continous warfare; fiest little gummers |
| Aztec intelliegence | knew medicines and calander |
| Aztec religion | human sacrifices |
| Incan gov | Sapa Inca = ruler claiming direct lineage from the sun itself |
| Cuzco | Incan capital; all roads led thru it |
| quipu | a collection of knotted and colored strings; used to keep records on dates and statistics |
| Quechua | language of the Incas |
| Incan road system | at stations, runners awaited to carry messages across a network of communication |
| Incan farming | used terraces |
| Aclla | the chosen women; chosen to serve Inti |
| mamacuna | noble mothers in Incan society |
