1. NB#11 Chapter 9.1 Mexico

2. The People
The original people in Mexico are known as the “Indigenous” people. (people descended from first inhabitants)
You might know them as: the Aztecs and Mayan people

3. History and Government
For hundreds of years, native groups like the Maya and Aztecs lived without European interference.
Maya were in South Mexico
Aztecs in Central Mexico

4. History and Government
The Maya:
Skilled in mathematics, developed an accurate calendar, and studied the skies.
Wrote in a style called glyphs (picture words)
No one knows what happened to them. Abandoned cities and disappeared.

5. History and Government
The Aztecs:
Built their capital on an island called Tenochtitlan – located around current day Mexico City
Used “Chinampas” to grow crops- Floating Gardens
Priests performed human sacrifices to gods

6. History and Government
The Aztecs got wiped out by Spanish settlement in the early 1500s.
Spain controlled Mexico for a couple hundred years
Spanish settlers married and blended cultures with the natives. These are “Mestizo” people. Mestizos are the most common ethnic group in Mexico today.

7. History and Government
In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain.
For the next 100 years, Mexico was control by wealthy land owners.
In 1917, Mexico got a new constitution which set up the government they have today.