1. Ancient Cultures of Central and South America: The Maya, Aztec, and Inca

2. Mayan Civilization Mayans Developed in Mexico around 2600 BC
Spread throughout the Yucatan Peninsula
The Mayans were at their height between AD

3. Mayan Writing Had hieroglyphic writing
Has not yet been fully translated
Words were formed from combinations of signs
Had almost 800 signs!

4. Maya Technology Had a very complex and accurate calendar
Their calendar was adopted by other nearby nations, like the Aztecs
The pyramid was used as a calendar:
four stairways, each with 91 steps and a
platform at the top, making a total of 365,
equivalent to the number of days in a
calendar year.

5. Fall of the Mayas
No one really knows why the Mayan civilization fell, but it could have been any combination of these reasons:
Not enough food
Earthquakes
War
Invasions
Disease
The Mayan civilization had fallen by 900 AD

6. Ms. Curry’s trip to the Mayan Ruins

7. Ms. Curry’s trip to the Mayan Ruins

8. A Mexican cenoté

9. A Mexican cenoté

10. Aztec The Aztec civilization began around 1100 AD
They gained lots of power and wealth because they controlled trade
After about 300 years, they had become the largest empire Mexico had ever seen

11. Aztec Writing
The Aztec Language was based on symbols representing writing.
They would combine symbols to create sentences.

12. Mythology There was an Aztec myth about a god named Quetzalcoatl
He was the most important god
He was the god of intelligence and creation
Stories say that he was a white-faced man

13. Spanish Arrival
Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico in 1519
Aztec emperor Moctezuma II thought Cortez was a god

14. Fall of the Aztecs Cortez took the emperor prisoner
The Aztecs began to fight the Spanish, but the Spanish were too powerful
Cortez conquered the Aztecs in 1521

15. Station 4—Inca
Look at the slides about the Inca civilization. Fill in the chart with all the correct information.
Skim the section in the chapter (pages ) to answer the handout questions. Do not just fill these in and be done with it—make sure they are correct! Hint, hint!

16. Inca Civilization Began around 1250 AD in South America
It is the only major civilization that existed in South America
Most people were farmers

17. Inca Achievements Built massive buildings made of stone blocks
Produced art of gold and silver
No written language
Machu Picchu (Mah-choo Pee-choo)—city on a mountain. Built by the Incas for their leader Pachacuti. It’s important because it contained a lot of artifacts that told archaeologists about the Incas.

18. Fall of the Incas
Francisco Pizarro, from Spain, came to the Inca civilization in 1530
When the Incas would not convert to Christianity, the Spanish attacked
The Inca leader, Atahualpa (ah-tah-wall-pah), did not have the men to fight against the Spanish
Atahualpa tried to get the Spanish to accept 24 tons of gold and silver (about 48,000 pounds) to save his life, but they killed him anyway
Spanish defeated the Incas in 1537 and took control of the area