Middle Ages and Mesoamerican Civilizations

The bubonic plague, caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, spread by fleas on rodents.

Fleas carried the bacteria from infected rodents to humans, causing outbreaks.

The Black Death led to massive population decline across Europe and Asia, impacting social and economic structures.

Monasteries served as centers of learning and scholarship, providing education to monks and sometimes the wider community.

The Mayan Civilization flourished in Mesoamerica, encompassing parts of modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.

Pok-a-pok was a popular ball game played by the Maya using a rubber ball and intricate rules.

The Maya were organized into independent city-states, each with its own ruler and government.

The Aztec civilization flourished in Mesoamerica, primarily in central Mexico.

Tenochtitlan, built on an island in Lake Texcoco, was the capital of the Aztec Empire.

Spanish conquerors, led by Hernán Cortés, were responsible for the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century.

Hernán Cortés was the Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Montezuma II, the Aztec emperor, was ultimately killed by his own people after being taken hostage by the Spanish.

Chinampas were floating gardens used by the Aztec for agriculture, created by weaving together reed mats and mud.

The Inca civilization flourished in South America, primarily along the Andes Mountains.

Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, led the conquest of the Inca Empire in the 16th Century.

Machu Picchu, a high-altitude citadel in the Andes Mountains, was built by the Inca and remained largely undiscovered by Europeans until the 20th Century.

The Inca civilization developed along the Andes Mountain range, using the high altitude and rugged terrain for their settlements and agriculture.

Corn, beans, and squash were the main staple foods of the Mesoamerican diet, including the Maya and Aztec.

Instead of a written language, the Inca used quipu, knotted strings with different colors and knots, to record information and keep track of records.

Terraced farming was a primary agricultural method practiced by the Inca, carving steps into hillsides to maximize land use and limit soil erosion.

Inti, the sun god, was the most important deity in the Inca religion, representing the source of life and energy.