1. The Mayans: Location Located in Mesoamerica (Central America)
The Mayans homeland was situated on and around the Yucatan Peninsula
They emerged in modern-day Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala around 200 B.C.E.
They were influenced by the Olmec civilization.
The climate there is tropical and includes rain forests
Farming consisted mainly of maize (corn) and beans.

2. The Mayans: Political & Economic
The Mayans broke their civilization up into different city-states.
Each city-state was ruled by a god-king, priest, or noble family.
Theocracy-based around gods
At the center of each city-state was large pyramid used for religious purposes.
These leaders collected taxes for that city-state
The main cities were usually surrounded by rural areas of farmland, forests, and villages.
Cities were linked through trade, usually corn, beans, cocoa, gold, or jade.

3. Mexico

4. The Mayans: Religion
The Mayans were animistic, meaning they believed nature had spirits.
They believed in many gods, making them polytheistic.
Such gods as God of corn, death, rain, sun, etc.
They Mayans made many offerings to their gods such as food, gold, jade, or even human blood.
Giant pyramids were built as religious centers in Mayan cities.

5. Mayan Ball Court @ Chichen-Itza, Mexico

6. Temple of the Bearded Man

7. Mayan Glyphs @ Chichen-Itza, Mexico

8. Temple of the Jaguar

9. El Castillo & Temple of Kukulkan @ Chichen-Itza, Mexico

10. Spring Equinox

11. Temple of Warriors @ Chichen Itza

12. Mayan Warrior Training Grounds @ Chichen-Itza, Mexico

13. The Mayans: Innovations & Technology
The importance of religion forced the Mayans to develop an accurate 365 solar day calendar.
Astronomy: Their calendar was based on the planets, sun, and moon.
Math-the concept of zero allowed them to develop such an accurate calendar
Writing: The Mayans developed glyphs, a hieroglyphic system of 800 symbols
They recorded history, events, and daily records.

14. The Mayans: Decline
The dates for Mayans range from 200 B.C.E to around 900 C.E.
Internal warfare among city-states in the late 800s caused problems
Famine, disease, over-farming, and increased violence caused economic problems
Major cities like Tikal were abandoned and the Mayans began to disappear by 900 C.E.

15. The Aztecs: Location Located in Mesoamerica
The Aztecs emerged in the valley of central Mexico around 1200 C.E.
They migrated from the deserts of northern Mexico.
They were influenced by the Olmec civilization.
Originally known as the Mexica, the Aztecs became the most powerful group in Mexico.
By 1500, they controlled over 80,000 miles from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean

16. The Aztecs: Political & Economic
The Aztecs were able to develop an empire because of their war-like characteristics.
They conquered and/or allied themselves with all the rival groups in central Mexico.
Theocracy-based around gods
The empire included 5-15 million people
Their empire was centered around their capital city, Tenochtitlan. (400,000 people)
The emperor was the leader of the Aztecs with nobles and military officials right below him.
Commoners and slaves made up the bottom of society.
The Aztecs demanded tribute in the form of gold or crops from their subjects
Huge markets were set up for trade in the major cities.

17. The Aztecs: Religion
The Aztec religion was animistic, meaning they believed nature had spirits.
Polytheistic-many gods (around 1,000)
Their religion was based around the Sun God, the most important
They constantly wanted to please their gods, especially the Sun God
The Sun God needed energy in the form of human blood to make the sun rise each day.
Therefore, human sacrifice became a major part of Aztec religion.
Thousands of conquered people were sacrificed on top of huge temples and pyramids each year.
A priest would carry out the sacrifice by cutting the person’s heart out while he was still alive!

18. The Aztecs: Innovations & Technology
Warfare: The Aztecs used a variety of weapons extremely well to conquer others.
The Aztecs did have a calendar system, but it was not as accurate as the Mayans.
Architecture: Tenochtitlan, the capital, was built on top of an island in a lake.
Raised roadways, or causeways, connected it to the mainland
Canals were built to bring trade goods
Chinampas-small floating gardens that produced the majority of fruits and vegetables for the markets.
Giant pyramids were built throughout Aztec cities.

19. The Aztecs: Decline The Aztec Empire lasted from 1200-1521 C.E.
The arrival of Spanish conquistadors such as Hernando Cortes brought an end to the Aztecs
The Spanish from Europe wanted gold, which the Aztecs had in abundance
Aztec weapons were no match for Spanish guns
War and European diseases devastated the Aztec population
Cortes conquered the Aztecs in 1521.

20. The Incas: Location
The Incan Empire emerged around 1200 C.E. within and around the Andes Mountains along the western part of South America
They developed their cities in the valleys of the Andes, as well as in the mountains.
Their empire stretched from modern-day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
It included some 16 million people.

21. The Incas: Political & Economic
The Incas, like the Aztecs, built an empire based around a strong military.
The emperor was the leader.
Theocracy-based around gods
The empire was based around its capital, Cuzco.
Extensive road systems were built connecting all cities back to the capital
The large empire was divided into units controlled by a central bureaucracy and broken down into groups controlled by a chief.
The Incan government was more like a modern-day welfare state in which the government cared for the people in return for labor.
Products were traded along Incan roads creating a linked economy

22. The Incas: Religion Animistic-believed that nature had spirits.
Polytheistic-many gods but not as many as the Aztecs
Creator God, Sun God, God of the Moon, etc.
Priests led worship services for the gods
They built several large temples dedicated to the gods.

23. The Incas: Innovations & Technology
Architecture:
Extensive 14,000 mile road system that connected all Incan cities to the capital
Postal Service
Great cities, temples, and palaces built within the Andes Mountains
Terrace Farming-level tiers cut into the side of mountains to farm
Record Keeping
Quipu-system of knotted and colored strings to keep data
Calendars (one for night and one for day)-for religious purposes.

24. The Incas: Decline
The Incan Empire lasted until 1532 C.E. when the Spanish conquered them.
Francisco Pizzaro, a conquistador from Spain, was the man responsible for conquering the Incas.
The Spanish used the road system to transport their troops
The wealth of gold and silver was taken by the Spanish
War and disease devastated the Incan population just like the Aztecs.

25. History-3/3
Categorize these facts into Mayans, Aztecs, or Incas, or ALL on the chart on the table:
Human Sacrifice (Thousands)
Pyramids
Polytheistic (animistic)
Extensive Road System
Cuzco
Empire
Yucatan Peninsula/Tropical Climate
Central Mexico
South America/Andes Mountains
Chinampas
Terrace Farming
Tenochtitlan
Farmers
City-States
Glyphs
War-Like
Social Classes
Chichen-Itza
365-Day Calendar
Conquered by the Spanish