1. GOOD MORNING Please take a guided note sheet from my orange chair.

2. EARLY MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS OLMEC ZAPOTEC

3. OLMEC 1200-400 BC: settled in rainforests of South Mexico Benefits from land –Clay: pottery –Forest: wood & rubber –Mountains: stone building –Rivers: transportation & trade –Soil: excellent for farming Left mounds, courtyards, statues & pyramids Polytheistic: Jaguar Spirit Traded with others in region (iron ore & stone) THEN…VANISHED!

5. ZAPOTEC Settled southwest of Olmec 1000 BC: stone temples, calendar & writing 500 BC: Monte Alban (first American city) –25,000 people –pyramids, temples, palaces, observatories THEN…VANISHED!

7. SO WHAT?! OLMEC Jaguar spirit Sculptures & pottery Structure of towns Ritual ball games ZAPOTEC Writing systems Calendar City building THEN…

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9. MAYA 250 AD: settled in southern Mexico & northern central America Until 900: built massive cities –Independent & ruled by god-king –Tens of thousands of people –Palaces, temples, pyramids –50 cities (Tikal & Copan) Society –Top: warriors & priests –Middle: merchants & craft workers –Bottom: peasant farmers Religion –Polytheistic (each day was a living god) –Led to math, calendars, astronomy

10. MAYA Math: included zero Calendar: –Religious (20 periods, 13 days per month) –Solar (19 months, 20 days per month except 1which has 5) –Universal Cycle (2,880,000 day cycles) Astronomy: almost completely accurate –Observed sun, moon, stars –Calculated time it takes earth to revolve around sun almost perfectly Writing: glyphs –800 characters –Popul Vuh: creation story

11. THEN…VANISHED! EXHAUSTED SOIL? CITY-STATE WARFARE?

12. AZTECS Before Aztecs: –Teotihuacan –Toltec 1428: Aztecs form Triple Alliance 1500s: empire of 5-15 million people Society –Top: emperor –Nobles: military leaders, priests, gov’t officials –Bottom: slaves

13. AZTECS Capital City: Tenochtitlan –Built on island in middle of lake –Included 200,000-400,000 people Religion: polytheistic –Used captives for daily sacrifices to sun god –Needed more & more captives to please sun god Decline –1502: Montezuma becomes emperor –Need for sacrifices led to rebellions –Contact with Spanish

14. Tenochtitlan: “The Venice of the Americas”