pre-Hispanic
Before Spanish conquest
Pre-Hispanic describes the Americas before Spanish colonization, roughly before the late 15th century.
It refers to indigenous civilizations, artifacts, languages, and traditions that existed prior to European contact: pre-Hispanic pottery, pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures.
The term appears most often in archaeological and anthropological contexts discussing the Aztec, Maya, Inca, and other native peoples.
Ancient Mexican civilization
- MayaAncient Mesoamerican people
- IncaAncient Peruvian civilization member
- OlmecAncient Gulf Coast people
- ToltecMesoamerican civilization, 900-1200 CE
Zapotec · Teotihuacan · Nazca · Mississippian · Mesoamerican · Andean · indigenous
Decayed structural remains
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
- templesHoly places or head sides
- codicesBound handwritten volumes
glyphs · petroglyphs · stelae · burial sites · pottery · obsidian · jade · excavation
Study of universal structure
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- calendarDate-tracking system
astronomy · mythology · deities · shamanism · ballgame · featherwork · weaving · goldsmithing
Defeating and seizing control
- ColumbianOf a South American nation
- precontactBefore outside groups arrived
- precolonialBefore foreign domination
- indigenousOriginating in a region
traditional · ancestral · original · native · authentic · ancient · 1492 · Cortés
Cob-bearing cereal crop
- terracingCutting slopes into steps
- quinoaEdible seed from Andes
- amaranthEdible-seeded flowering plant
- cacaoTropical pod-bearing tree
squash · beans · irrigation · potato · tomato · chili · cultivation · domestication
Aztec
Ancient Mexican civilization
- MayaAncient Mesoamerican people
- IncaAncient Peruvian civilization member
- OlmecAncient Gulf Coast people
Toltec · Zapotec · Teotihuacan · Nazca · Mississippian · Mesoamerican · Andean · indigenous
ruins
Decayed structural remains
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
- templesHoly places or head sides
codices · glyphs · petroglyphs · stelae · burial sites · pottery · obsidian · jade · excavation · stratigraphy
cosmology
Study of universal structure
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
calendar · astronomy · mythology · deities · shamanism · ballgame · featherwork · weaving · goldsmithing · oral tradition
conquest
Defeating and seizing control
- ColumbianOf a South American nation
- precontactBefore outside groups arrived
- precolonialBefore foreign domination
indigenous · traditional · ancestral · original · native · authentic · ancient · 1492 · Cortés · Pizarro
maize
Cob-bearing cereal crop
cacao · squash · beans · irrigation · potato · tomato · chili · cultivation · domestication · llama
pre-Hispaniccolonial
Of occupied territories
post-Columbian · colonial-era · Spanish colonial · colonial period · post-colonial
pre-HispanicHispanicized
Made Spanish in character
colonial · Europeanized · European · Christianized · Iberian