1. Classical Maya and American Civilizations

2. Mayans (1500 BCE-1500 CE)
City-states ruled by a king
Claimed descent from a god
Rule usually passed from father to son
Occasional female rulers
Fought against each other to collect tribute
Used for sacrifices
Priests and scribes helped to run the government
Commoners paid taxes with crops and performed military service when necessary

3. Maya Classic Period (ca. 200-900 CE)
First written language in the Americas
Used 850 pictures and symbols
Advanced astronomical knowledge
Predicted lunar and solar eclipses and planetary movements
Used data to make decisions
Calendar was more accurate than Europeans’ calendar
Dictated religious festivals and rituals

4. Mayan Agriculture Slash-and-burn agriculture to clear fields
Ashes provided fertilizer
Milpa: 2 years of cultivation, 8 years of lying fallow
Different crops grown together
Three Sisters: maize, squash, beans
Also grew chili peppers
Hunted and raised deer

5. Mayan Religion
Gods represented the creator, sun and moon, crops, prominent families, and occupational groups
Priests offered (sometimes human) sacrifices to appease the gods
Women could serve as priestesses
Ritual ballgame to honor the gods
Tikal

6. Chichén Itzá

7. Mayan Decline After 900 CE, many Mayan cities were abandoned
Cities became overcrowded from population growth
Large-scale agriculture and monumental architecture in many places ceased
Deforestation and drought caused many Mayans to resume a more rural lifestyle

8. Teotihuacán Largest Mesoamerican city at its peak
Population of 150,000
Thriving trade, religious, and political center 100 BCE-550 CE
Polytheistic, multicultural, laid out in a grid
Interacted with Maya and other Mesoamerican societies
Exported pottery, obsidian artifacts

9. Temple of the Sun

10. Teotihuacán

11. Moche ( CE)
Developed along Moche and Chicham river valleys in northern Peru
Used irrigation to facilitate agriculture
Grew beans and corn, domesticated llamas
Created pottery, jewelry, textiles
Trade was mostly local
Social hierarchy based on extended family units called ayllus

12. Moche Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna
Temples to their gods
Also venerated their ancestors
Fortified cities surrounded their temples
Periods of heavy rains and drought likely led to the decline of the Moche
May have weakened rulers who claimed to be able to predict the weather