Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations

Essential Ideas: Mayan civilization was grouped by city-states. The Aztecs controlled their empire through one central government (Tenochtitlan). The Incans built a road system to connect their empire.

Early American Civilizations Mesoamerica – ancient region including most of Mexico and Central America Farming in Mesoamerica expanded populations, forming great cities and religious centers The Maya and Aztec are the most well-known Mesoamerican civilizations

The Maya Mayan civilization included Yucatan Peninsula and northern Central America Kings ruled city-states served as religious centers Around 900 A.D., abandoned cities Theories exist, but real cause is unknown Popular theory= rebellion against priests and nobles Many ancestors killed by crop failures, war, disease, drought, and famine Millions of Mayas still live in C.America

Mayan Civilization Maize most important crop Temples decorated with Hieroglyphics System of writing using signs or symbols All carving done with stone tools No metal used in Mayan times

Inventions: Developed a 365-day calendar to keep track of the sky Invented the concept of Zero Considered their greatest invention Developed a system of counting based on 20

Mayan Numbers No single digit for 20 After 19, numbers go vertical

Maya today More than 2 million Maya people live in Guatemala and southern Mexico today Maya people today live in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize.

The Aztecs Arrived in the valley of Mexico about 1250 A.D. Wandered looking for a permanent home until 1325 Found the site promised by their god Quetzalcoatl Told to look for an Eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake

Tenochtitlan Found on an island on lake Texcoco Swampy Island way too small for all the Aztecs Thought to be around 200,000 at the time of the conquest More than double any European city at that time Had to expand the island How in the world does that happen?

Tenochtitlan Aztecs built floating islands by piling soil from the bottom of the lake on top of rafts Roots from trees and grass grew down to the bottom of the lake This made the “homemade” islands stay put

Fall of the Aztecs Hernán Cortés led the Spanish invasion of the Aztec empire Aztecs feared Cortés was their god Quetzalcoatl returning home Did not attack the Spanish right away Smallpox weakened the Aztec Spanish took control in 1521 Hernán Cortés – Spanish conquistador

The Inca Home in the Andes mountains of South America Centered in present-day Peru Capital city Cuzco center of the empire Became the largest ancient empire in the Americas

Governing an Empire Incans required to learn Quechua, Incan language System of roads covered the empire travel and trade 14000 miles of roads Developed tax system Quipu - rope with knotted cords of different lengths and colors Used to keep records

Aqueducts A pipe or channel to carry water from a distant source Allowed them to irrigate land that normally would have been too dry to farm

Hiram Bingham

Machu Picchu, Peru Inca ruins “Old Peak” 7,000 ft. above sea level Eastern slope of the Andes Mountains New Seven Wonders of the World http://www.peru-machu- picchu.com/ Inca ruins

Conquest of the Inca Francisco Pizarro set out to find an empire filled with gold for Spain Invited the Incan emperor, Atahualpa, to a meeting and took him hostage Pizarro had conquered most of the Incas by 1535 Conquest of Incan lands in Peru led to Spanish rule over most of South America Francisco Pizarro- Spanish conquistador