Word Definition Remember

1. Cacao A bean used to

make chocolate

2. Highland A type of land that is

high above the sea

3. Lowland A type of land that is

low and level

4. Maize A type of corn first

domesticated by
early
Mesoamericans

5. Mother culture A civilization that

greatly influences
other civilizations
6. Slash-and-burn A method of
agriculture clearing fields for
planting

7. Terrace A stepped platform

built into a
mountainside

8. Codex A folded book made

of tree bark paper

9. Creation story An account that

explains how the
world began and
how people came to
exist

10. Glyph A symbolic picture

used to represent a
word, syllable, or
sound
11. Chinampa A floating field that
supported
agriculture

12. Communal Shared

13. Conquistador A Spanish conqueror

who sought gold
and other riches in
the Americas

14. Noble A member of a high

class in society who
inherits his or her
status
15. Serf A person who lived
or worked on the
private land of a
noble or medieval
lord