preconquest
Prior to conquest
Preconquest describes the period before a conquest, especially before European colonization of the Americas or the Norman Conquest of England in 1066: preconquest Aztec society, preconquest land tenure systems.
The word typically appears in historical and archaeological contexts discussing indigenous cultures before colonial disruption.
Ancient Mexican civilization
- MayaAncient Mesoamerican people
- TenochtitlanAztec empire's central city
- TeotihuacanMesoamerican archaeological zone
- MontezumaAztec ruler, sixteenth century
Quetzalcoatl · Chichen Itza · Olmec · Zapotec · Toltec · Tikal · codices · obsidian
Ancient Peruvian civilization member
- CuzcoFormer Incan imperial seat
- Machu PicchuIncan sanctuary in Peru
- NazcaPeruvian archaeological culture
- quipuKnotted-cord recording system
Americas before 1492
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- protohistoricBetween prehistory and history
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- indigenousOriginating in a region
aboriginal · primordial · ancient · traditional · precontact · original · native · autochthonous
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
lithics · burial · settlements · ceramics · midden · bioarchaeology · relics · subsistence
Aztec
Ancient Mexican civilization
- MayaAncient Mesoamerican people
- TenochtitlanAztec empire's central city
- TeotihuacanMesoamerican archaeological zone
Montezuma · Quetzalcoatl · Chichen Itza · Olmec · Zapotec · Toltec · Tikal · codices · obsidian · jade
Inca
Ancient Peruvian civilization member
- CuzcoFormer Incan imperial seat
- Machu PicchuIncan sanctuary in Peru
- NazcaPeruvian archaeological culture
pre-Columbian
Americas before 1492
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- protohistoricBetween prehistory and history
- ancestralOf one's forebears
indigenous · aboriginal · primordial · ancient · traditional · precontact · original · native · autochthonous · endemic
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
potsherds · lithics · burial · settlements · ceramics · midden · bioarchaeology · relics · subsistence · domestication
Mississippian
Native of a southern state
- moundbuildersCultures creating ceremonial earth structures
- kivaPueblo ceremonial chamber
- puebloCommunal adobe village
longhouse · potlatch · wampum · Iroquois · Cherokee · Navajo · Lakota · Three Sisters · buffalo · travois
preconquestpostconquest
After military subjugation
colonial · postcolonial · subjugated · imperial · conquered