| A | B |
|---|
| HALACH UINICH | the name given to the hereditary leader of a Mayan city-state |
| PPOLM | the Mayan name for a merchant or trader; they were often secret spies or ambassadors |
| ALTIPLANO | Mesoamerican tribe that occupied Teotihuacan; believed to have descended from the ancient Olmecs |
| MAIZE | Mesoamerican word for corn; the most important crop of the Maya |
| CODEX | the name for a Mayan book |
| TEOTIHUACAN | ancient city of the Altiplano Civilization, located near present-day Mexico City; the home of Fire Is Born |
| MILPA | The Mayan term for the slash and burn technique |
| SLASH AND BURN | agricultural method that involves burning dried trees to clear the land and provide fertilizer |
| GLYPHS | picture symbols used to represent Mayan sounds, words, or syllables |
| SACRED ROUND | the religious calendar of the Maya |
| k'ATUN | festival held every 20 years to reveal a new stela |
| FIRE IS BORN | invader (or envoy) frrom Teotihuacan; conquered Mayan city-states and replaced rulers with men from the west |
| HIEROGLYPHICS | the system of writing used by the Maya |
| TRIBUTE | a tax paid to a conquering tribe in the form of goods or labor |
| SOLAR CALENDAR | "everyday" Mayan calendar that was similar to the one we use |
| POK-TA-POK | Mayan ballgame |
| TORTILLA | flat bread made from maize; usually filled with meat and/or vegetables |
| EQUINOX | one of the two days of the year when there are an equal number of hours of daylight and darkness |
| STELAS | tall stone columns inscribed with hieroglyphics that told of important events |
| RELIEF | the process of sculpting raised figures on a wall of stone |
| STELA 31 | deciphered recently to reveal new information about the Mayan Empire and its "disappearance" |
