Ch. 7 Civilizations of the Americas (Prehistory-AD 1570) Ms. Van WBHS

The First Civilizations The Olmec- first American civilization, began in the tropical forest along the Mexican gulf coast Took part in trade over a large area, invented a calendar, and carved hieroglyphic writing into stone The Zapotec were a group of people that rose to power after the Olmec; originated in modern-day Oaxaca, Mexico Engaged in trade, built large stone temples, developed a writing system, and constructed ball courts

Maya and Aztec societies Mayan city-states of Central America were known to clear the rainforests to produce maize (corn), developed a hieroglyphic writing system and an accurate calendar Society was divided into social classes, in which each city-state had its own ruling chief and priests held great power Pacal the Great- the most successful Maya ruler Ruled the city-state of Palenque for over 70 years, sponsored a building program that produced fine Maya art and architecture

The Aztecs The Aztecs conquered most of Mexico several hundreds years after the decline of Maya civilizations By 1500, population of the empire was about 30 million people Tribute (payment from conquered peoples) helped grow wealth and power Complex social structure with an emperor (a single ruler) at the top in addition to a class of priests who conducted rituals and sacrifices intended to appease the gods Moctezuma, an Aztec emperor, initially welcomed Spanish conquistadors as messengers from the gods only to discover their real intentions- land, gold, conversion of native peoples to Christianity

The Incas In the 1400s, the Inca came down from the Andes mountain of Peru led by Pachacuti, a skilled warrior and leader Empire stretched 2,500 miles down the Andes and along the Pacific coast By the 1500s, a centralized government was established in Peru, ruled by a god-king and a powerful class of priests

Inca Government and Inca Achievements Emperor had absolute power and thought to be divine (sent from the gods) The capital at Cuzco had an efficient government where power trickled down to every village No written language; instead, there were quipus (a collection of knotted colored strings) that noted dates, events and statistics Their own language called Quechua was imposed as well as religion Created one of the greatest road systems (over 14,000 miles through mountains and deserts) Huayna Capac-last emperor of a unified empire. Known for expansion of the road network. His death (smallpox) led to civil war and a weakened empire, that was more easily conquered by Spanish conquistadors

Zapotec built large stone temples

Pacal the Great, the most successful Mayan ruler