1. Empires of the South

2. Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá

3. The Maya 3,000 years ago Southern part of Mexico Cleared thick jungles
By 250 AD covered 120,000 square miles
Population: 10 million

4. A. Skilled Farmers B. City Builders Built terraces to farm hillsides
Extra food used for trade
Cacao beans used as a type of money
B. City Builders
Tall pyramids at the center of most cities
Most lived in one-room homes near their fields

5. C. Religion and Science Priests most important people in the empire
Gods thought to control sun, rain, and other forces of nature
Developed accurate maps of star groups
Developed 365-day calendar
Developed a system of numbers including a symbol to represent 0.

6. D. Cultural Achievements
Hieroglyphs developed – writing based on symbols instead of letters
Created paintings and jewelry
E. Mayan Decline
At height from 250 to 900
Drastic climate changes? No fertile soil? Invasions?
2 million descendants in Mexico and Central America

7. Tenochtitlán
Tenochtitlán

8. The Aztec
1300 to 1520
Southern part of Mexico (west and north of Mayan Empire)

9. A. Message From the Gods
Early Aztec told to settle where they found an eagle perched on a cactus
Named settlement Tenochtitlán, meaning “Place of the prickly Pear Cactus”
Present-day Mexico City

10. B. Greatness of Tenochtitlán
Three large causeways to connect island capital with mainland
Built aqueducts to bring freshwater from mountains
Stone pyramids for the priests
Outdoor markets, parks, schools, barbershops, and a zoo.
Floating gardens

11. C. Conquest and Trade Fierce and well-trained warriors
Conquered peoples forced to pay tribute
Class system
Nobles
Inherited position
Government officials, priests, and warriors
Commoners – allowed to own land
Peasant farmers
Enslaved Persons
All paid tribute except nobles

12. Trade Sent blue turquoise & chocolate
Traded as far away as southern US

13. D. Priests and Religion Most important god was the god of sun and war
Had over 1,000 gods
Priests kept historic records and taught children

14. Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu

15. The Inca Largest empire in the Americas Stretched 2,500 miles
Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and parts of Argentina and Chile

16. 4. Expanded through peaceful means
5. Capital city Cuzco in the Andes
6. Ruler controlled all goods and services
7. Farmed corn, beans, cotton, squash in the valleys
8. Grew potatoes and raised llama and alpaca in mountains
,000 mile road system built