1. Mesoamerican Civilizations
Chapter 6

2. The Olmecs: B.C.
They were located in the hot and swampy lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico south of Veracruz.
They had large cities that were centers for religious rituals.

3. Veracruz, Mexico
Olmec Civilization lay just to south on the coast.

4. Teotihuacán Was the first major city in Mesoamerica
Arose around 250 B.C. and collapsed about 850 A.D.
May have had as many as 200,000 inhabitants at its height.
Has a main thoroughfare, known as the Avenue of the Dead, had two main temples.
The Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon.

5. Ruled by Priests & Nobles
Organized Government
Ruled by Priests & Nobles

6. Religion
Polytheistic

7. Job Specialization
Priests
Farmers
Traders
Craftsmen/Artists

8. Most likely used to represent their gods or rulers
Arts/Architecture
Colossal Stone Heads
Jade Figurines of
People & gods
Most likely used to represent their gods or rulers

9. Carvings of grinning jaguars & serpents

10. Social Classes
HIGH
LOW
Priests & Nobles
Farmers & Commoners

11. Hieroglyphics carved in stone
Writing System
Hieroglyphics carved in stone

12. Other Special Features
Invented a calendar
Considered the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica

13. Mayan civilization 250 BC-900 AD
Location: Yucatán Peninsula
Maya were found in the Yucatan Peninsula and Part of Guatemala
Government:
Ruled by: A king
Group of: City-States-Each governed by a hereditary ruling class.
Built around a central pyramid
Abandoned their cities; historians do not know why.
Religion:
Polytheistic
Pyramid-Was topped with a shrine to the gods

14. Economy Based on Agriculture Trade Corn Honey Feathers Precious metals
Cocoa

15. Arts/Architecture
Pyramids & temples

16. Middle: Farmers, Merchants
Social Classes
High: Kings, nobles & scribes
Middle: Farmers, Merchants
Low: Slaves

17. The Spanish destroyed most of the Mayan writings.
Hieroglyphics carved on Stelae
The Spanish destroyed most of the Mayan writings.
They were not seen as having any value since they were not Christian.
Their language was not translated until the 20th century.

18. Calendar Solar calendar 365 days
Divided into 18 months with 20 days each with 5 extra days at the end.
A Lunar calendar
Calendar based on the movement of the Planet Venus.
Sacred calendar
260 days and 13 weeks of 20 days each.
The Mayan calendar says our present world was created in 3114 B.C. AND the current world would end on December A.D.

19. “I only had room to go up to 2012!”
“Ha! That’ll freak somebody out someday.”

20. Mayan Calendar Comics
End of the World? December 23, 2012

21. Tikal

22. Chichén Itzá

24. Location: Valley of Mexico.
The AZTEC: AD
Location: Valley of Mexico.
Capital City: Tenochtitlán (Present-day Mexico City)
Built up on rafts made from reeds & covered w/dirt on Lake Texcoco.
Known as “chinampas”

27. Political and Social Structure
By 1500 there were about 4 million people in the Aztec Empire.
Ruled by: An Emperor
Was the supreme leader of the people.
Claimed he was Divine.
Social Classes
Low: Commoners, indentured workers, slaves.
Middle: Farmers &traders
High: Emperor, nobles, priests
Job Specialization
Men: Warriors
Women:
Wove textiles
Raised children
Served as priestesses
Could own & inherit property
Could enter into contracts

28. Religion Huitzilopochtli Polytheistic Based on warfare Chief god
He was the god of the sun.
Offered human sacrifice to give him strength to battle the forces of darkness each night so that he could rise each morning.

29. Quetzalcoatl: “The Feathered Serpent”
Believed he had left the valley of
Mexico, but promised to return in triumph.
Human Sacrifice
Each Aztec city contained a pyramid where they
practiced human sacrifice as a way to postpone
the end of the world.

30. Destruction of the Aztec: 1519
The subjugation of the people of the Aztec
Empire bred hatred & discontent among the
people. When the Spanish arrived they did
not have a difficult time finding allies to fight
the Aztec.
Spanish Conquistador: Hernán Cortés
Came to the valley of Mexico in 1519 with 550 soldiers and 16 horses.
He was at first greeted by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma.
Later kidnapped the Emperor & made him a puppet.
The people rebelled & the Emperor was killed. The Spanish barely escaped.
Disease
The Spanish returned several months later.
Smallpox had nearly wiped out the Aztec population
Cortés & Allies
destroyed the Aztec capital
subjugated the Aztec people.

32. Religion Polytheistic
Inca: A.D.
Location
Andes Mountains of South America
Capital city: Cuzco
Represented by Machu Picchu
Ruled by: Emperor Pachacuti
Unified the Inca & established the
Incan Empire
Economy
high-altitude agriculture
Religion Polytheistic .

33. Organization of the Empire
Incan state built on war.
Conquered peoples were all taught the same language.
Governor, who answered to Emperor, ruled each region
Culture
Women
Expected to live at home -OR-
Be a priestess
Men
Farmers
Herders
Llamas
Alpacas
Both
Must marry within their own social class

34. Quipu-A system of knotted strings
Writing System
Quipu-A system of knotted strings
used by the Inca to keep
records.

35. Accomplishments Rest houses Road System Storage depots
24, 800 miles of Road
Built roads to unify their people.
Roads made travel and communication throughout the empire more efficient
Rest houses
Storage depots
Suspension bridges to span
ravines & waterways

36. City built at 8,000 ft above sea level.
Great Builders
Buildings made of stone held without mortar.
Machu Picchu
City built at 8,000 ft above sea level.

38. Factors Leading to Defeat: 1531 AD
Disease
Brought by the Spanish
Smallpox devastates Incan population
Spanish Conquistadors
Francisco Pizarro
Superior Weapons
Civil War
After the death of the Inca Emperor a civil war broke out
Pizarro took advantage & defeated the people.
Defeat
1535
Lima established as the capital of the new Spanish Colony.