Empires of the South

Chichén Itzá Chichén Itzá

The Maya 3,000 years ago Southern part of Mexico Cleared thick jungles By 250 AD covered 120,000 square miles Population: 10 million

A. Skilled Farmers B. City Builders Built terraces to farm hillsides Extra food used for trade Cacao beans used as a type of money B. City Builders Tall pyramids at the center of most cities Most lived in one-room homes near their fields

C. Religion and Science Priests most important people in the empire Gods thought to control sun, rain, and other forces of nature Developed accurate maps of star groups Developed 365-day calendar Developed a system of numbers including a symbol to represent 0.

D. Cultural Achievements Hieroglyphs developed – writing based on symbols instead of letters Created paintings and jewelry E. Mayan Decline At height from 250 to 900 Drastic climate changes? No fertile soil? Invasions? 2 million descendants in Mexico and Central America

Tenochtitlán Tenochtitlán

The Aztec 1300 to 1520 Southern part of Mexico (west and north of Mayan Empire)

A. Message From the Gods Early Aztec told to settle where they found an eagle perched on a cactus Named settlement Tenochtitlán, meaning “Place of the prickly Pear Cactus” Present-day Mexico City

B. Greatness of Tenochtitlán Three large causeways to connect island capital with mainland Built aqueducts to bring freshwater from mountains Stone pyramids for the priests Outdoor markets, parks, schools, barbershops, and a zoo. Floating gardens

C. Conquest and Trade Fierce and well-trained warriors Conquered peoples forced to pay tribute Class system Nobles Inherited position Government officials, priests, and warriors Commoners – allowed to own land Peasant farmers Enslaved Persons All paid tribute except nobles

Trade Sent blue turquoise & chocolate Traded as far away as southern US

D. Priests and Religion Most important god was the god of sun and war Had over 1,000 gods Priests kept historic records and taught children

Machu Picchu Machu Picchu

The Inca Largest empire in the Americas Stretched 2,500 miles Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and parts of Argentina and Chile

4. Expanded through peaceful means 5. Capital city Cuzco in the Andes 6. Ruler controlled all goods and services 7. Farmed corn, beans, cotton, squash in the valleys 8. Grew potatoes and raised llama and alpaca in mountains 9. 10,000 mile road system built