1. Ch 7 –
Civilizations
of the
Americas

3. Major Pre-Columbian Civilizations

4. The Olmecs BC

5. Geography
lived in the tropical forests along the Mexican Gulf Coast

6. Religion probably polytheistic
rich tombs & temples suggest powerful class of priests
Olmec people attended religious ceremonies
Rain Deity

7. Achievements built ceremonial centers of pyramid-shaped temples
most known for giant carved stone heads moved without wheeled carts or animals
invented a calendar
carved inscriptions seen as a form of writing

8. ruins of an Olmec temple

9. Giant Stone Head
one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta This one is nearly 9 feet tall.

10. The Olmec Calendar

11. Sixty-two signs incised on a block of serpentine date to the first millennium B.C. and are thought to be the earliest writing in the New World. The Cascajal block, an artifact of the Olmec civilization, was found by road builders in a pile of debris.

12. Politics
Most Important Legacy – civilization led by priests who performed the religious ceremonies
Olmec priest

13. Economics & Society farming & trade Social Hierarchy:
priests at the top
followed by aristocrats
everyone else on the bottom

14. The Aztecs AD 100 – 1519

15. Geography located in the Valley of Mexico
a high plateau in central Mexico
ringed by snowcapped volcanoes
Aztec capital

16. Religion polytheistic priests performed rituals to please the gods
Huitzilopochitli – chief god, the Sun God
battled forced of darkness each night and was reborn each morning
humans were sacrificed to appease the gods
usually POWs

17. Sacrificing Neighboring Tribes to the Sun God

18. Wall of Skulls, Tenochtitlán

19. Achievements Teotihuacán - early people’s capital
well planned, wide roads, huge temples, & apartment buildings
culture influenced the Aztecs
Pyramid of the Sun

20. Achievements
Tenochtitlán - Aztec capital of a complex well ordered empire
built on a swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco (site of present-day Mexico City)

21. Achievements built chinampas to create more farmland
raised corn, squash, beans
canals created for transportation
causeways linked the city to the mainland
chinampas –
15’ to 30’ wide

23. Achievements priests recorded laws & historical events
ran schools for nobles’ sons
used knowledge of astronomy & math to foretell future
accurate calendar
medicine
original taco
chocolate
Aztec Calendar

24. Politics
emperor - a single ruler chosen by a council of nobles & priests to lead in war
nobles served as judges, officials, & governors of conquered lands

25. Economics
farming
war
tribute payments from conquered peoples brought immense wealth

26. Society AD 1500 – empire numbered 30 million people
emperor at top of society
nobles enjoyed special privileges
warriors could earn noble status by killing or capturing enemy soldiers
farmers made up majority of society
slaves – POWs or criminals (had legal rights)
class of traders were protected by Aztecs
worked as spies
priests were in a class all their own

27. The Maya AD

28. Geography
flourished in Yucatán Peninsula through much of Central America
Tikal – capital (present-day Guatemala)

29. Tikal – Main Court

30. Religion polytheistic
priests performed sacrifices high on temples while people watched below
priests held great power
only they could conduct ceremonies to ensure good harvests & success in war

31. Mayan priest, Apocalypto

32. temple scene, Apocalypto

33. Achievements cleared rain forests for farmland
built raised fields that caught & held water
built channels to drain excess water
books made of tree bark
accurate time measurement
invented a numbering system & understood concept of zero

34. Mayan Glyphs Mayan Mathematics
sky king house child city
Mayan Mathematics

35. Achievements
pyramid shaped temples covered with elaborate carvings that recorded events in Mayan history
developed a hieroglyphic writing system
accurate 365-day solar calendar & 260-day calendar based on the orbit of Venus

36. Mayan Glyphs

37. Chichen-Itza Temple

38. Chichen-Itza Observatory

39. Chichen-Itza Ball Court

40. Mayan Calendar

41. Politics & Society chiefs ruled each city
nobles served as military leaders
officials managed public works, collected taxes, & enforced laws
farmers were majority of population
priests held great power
women occasionally governed on their own or in the name of a young son

42. Economics wealth came from trade
farming also supported fast growing cities
corn, maize, beans, squash, fruits, cotton, flowers
farmers paid taxes in food
underground granary

43. Mayan warrior,
Apocalypto

44. Mayan warrior,
Apocalypto

45. Mayan,
Apocalypto

46. The Inca AD

47. Geography located in the Andes Mountain range of South America
present day Ecuador, Peru, & Chile
capital at Cuzco

48. Religion polytheistic powerful priest class served the gods
chief god – Inti, the Sun God
religion tied to daily routines
festivals celebrated with ceremonies, sports, & games
“Chosen Women” were trained to attend the Inti
studied religion, prepared food & drink, made clothes of Sapa Inca & Coya

49. Inti, the Sun God

50. Achievements language called Quechua
“All Roads Lead through Cuzco” – one of greatest road systems in history
12,000 miles through mountains & deserts
suspension bridges built over chasms (better than Rome’s)
temples w/ stones cut so precise they survived earthquakes (no mortar used)
best metal workers in the Americas
practiced surgery on skull
terrace farming

52. dry fit, precisely
cut stone wall,
Machu Picchu

53. Inca Gold & Silver

54. Incan Brain Surgery
Inca surgeons in ancient Peru commonly & successfully removed small portions of patients' skulls to treat head injuries – a practice called trepanation

55. terraced fields, Machu Picchu

56. Achievements Machu Picchu – means 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language
over 7000 ft above sea level
revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time
invisible from below & completely self-contained
surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population
watered by natural springs
abandoned for 300 years
rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911

57. Machu Picchu

58. A complete overview of the site as seen from Huayna Picchu

59. terraced fields, Machu Picchu

60. Politics
1438 – Pachacuti proclaimed himself Sapa Inca (emperor) & set out to conquer land
absolute ruler, claimed divine right as the “Son of the Sun” = a god-king
ran efficient government
nobles ruled provinces with local chiefs
officials carried out day-to-day business like collecting taxes & enforcing laws
kept records on a quipu noting dates, events, & stats on population & crops

61. Sapa Inca, Pachacuti 1391(?) – 1473(?)

62. Quipu

63. Economics
farming
conquest
trade
taxes

64. Society Sapa Inca at top – considered a god
his wife, the Coya, carried out religious duties
nobles were below the emperor
farmers lived in communities called ayllus
leaders of each ayllu carried out governmental orders like assigning jobs & organizing what family would work the land