Chapter 1 (continued)

III- Mesoamerica Some of the tribes who migrated over the land bridge traveled as far south as South America to begin their civilizations. They established the Mesoamerican Empires

1) Meso- Latin for middle 2) Mesoamerica= Middle America 3) All three of these empires mastered agriculture which allowed them to build complex civilizations

C) The Mayans 1) Mayans settled in Central America (Yucatan Peninsula) 2) Cities contained 40,000 inhabitants 3) Temple pyramids dominated their society.

D) The Aztecs 1) Settled in Mexico 2) Built TENOCHTITLAN, a large city built around the Pyramid of the Sun. 3) They sacrificed humans to their gods on these temples

E) The Incas 1) Settled in South America (Peru) 2) Built vast cities on ridge lines and mountain tops. 3) Their engineers made the buildings earthquake proof.